J/80 Spanish Championship

Defending World Champion Rayco Tabares Wins!

(La Coruna, Spain- Jul 12)-  So, what's wrong with this picture.  The Spanish J/80 Armada rules, right?  Three J/80 World Champions show up for the Spanish J/80 National Championships and ONE of them has to win.  Too bad they couldn't all win?  After all, three extraordinary sailors, three amazing teams, something had to give.  After the smoke cleared on the battlefield and fog settled in it was..... Rayco, triumphant again!  For one of the few fleets on the planet Earth where the local fleet racing is as good as World Championships (e.g. Newport J/24 Fleet, Newport Shields fleet, San Francisco J/105 fleet, Annapolis J/22 fleet, to name a few) the Spanish sure have an extraordinary tour'de'force.  The Spanish Armada reborn again, except this time, with gunships and "ships of the main" much better armed to the teeth with great sailors who can equally sail a J/80 to a World Championship as commandeer an IMOCA 60 and crush the competition.  Perhaps the French have taken notice and are stepping up their J/80 programs?  The British sure have, starting them young in RYA programs with "old guard" support..some nice guy called Ben seems to do OK.  America, of course, is still learning from the R.O.W. (e.g. row, row, row your boat).

Rayco Tabares and his team from Islas Canarias sailed their J/80 BIGBOY NAUTICA, representing both the Real Club Náutico de La Coruña - Real Club Náutico de Arrecife, to the overall win of the fourth Spanish National Championship.  It was not an easy task to overcome many compatriots who were equally up to the task of taking the overall crown.  Second went to TURISMO DE ALGARVE, sailed by yet another champion, Gonzalo Araujo of Vigo and the Portuguese Hugo Rocha, who sailed for the Yacht Club de Marina Arenys.  Finishing out the podium was guess who(?), but none other than ECC VIVIENDAS sailed by Pichu Torcida representing the Real Club Marítimo de Santander.

How important is the sport of sailing to Spain?   Well, "futbol" (aka American soccer) is about equal.  The President of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, Gerardo Pombo, was present to award to Rayco Tabares as one of their "Champions of Spain 2010". At the awards ceremony, also attending was Pumariega Suárez-Germain, President of The Yacht magazine; the Harbour Master of La Coruna, Gustavo Ortega; the President of the Galician Federation of Vela, Jose Angel Rodriguez; CEO of EuroPublicis (a famous PR/marketing firm), Maximino Yanez; and the Royal Yacht Club Commodore, Jorge Etcheverría.  No wonder Spain is beginning to dominate certain parts of the sailing world. Throw in a few extraordinary photo/journalists to document the proceedings like Jesus Renedo and it will hard to stem the inexorable tide of Spanish success washing across oceans around the world.

Other than all the platitudes, what happened on the water and how in the heck did Rayco overcome such a talented fleet yet again??  Few in other ISAF one-design keelboat classes of recent memory (J/24, J/80, J/22, Melges 24, Etchells 22, Star, etc) have achieved so much in so little time against such indisputable talent.  In short, here's a synopsis of the regatta reports:

Day One- with three world champions of the J/80 class (2007, 2008, 2009) having confirmed their presence in the city of La Coruna, everyone knew the gauntlet laid down was to determine the "Intergalactic Champion", not just the Spanish Champion.  In the first two Spanish Champions, Ignacio Camino and Pichu Torcida sailing NEXTEL ENGINEERING and ECC VIVIENDAS, respectively, it was going to be tough fight to start with.  With Rayco Tabares entering the fray, who won last year in the 2009 Santander J/80 Worlds with PRINCESS YAIZA, the competition spun into the stratosphere and his new sponsor BIGBOY NAUTICA was hopeful they would be successful.  Tabares didn't disappoint his friends, supporters and followers, by winning the first race and getting a third in the 2nd race.  By the end of the day, Tabares's BIGBOY NAUTICA was in first with four points, followed by two boats with seven points each, Pablo Chavert's MARINA CORUNA and Gonzalo Araujo's TURISMO DE ALGARVE. 

Day Two- with nearly identical weather to the first day of racing, the fleet waited until the dense fog blew away.  By 1500 hours (late in the day) the J/80 teams were sent out to sea.  With the wind out of the North at seven knots, it was clear the left side of the course was correct for most teams.  Of the top teams, only Araujo's team on TURISMO DE ALGARVE managed a top three finish, getting a second in the first race.  However, the tables turned for race two of the day, with the leaders coming to the front of the fleet.  Torcidas' ECC VIVIENDAS won with Tabares' BIGBOY NAUTICA in second and Camino's NEXTEL ENGINEERING in third.

And, that was the end of racing.  For a sticky fog settled in for Sunday's racing and would not lift to allow the high calibre teams to race at least one more set of races to determine the Spanish Intergalactic Champions.  So it was, Tabares won with BIGBOY NAUTICA, followed by Araujo's TURISMO DE ALGARVE and third was Torcida's ECC VIVIENDAS.  Fourth was Camino's NEXTEL ENGINEERING and fifth was Chavert Paul's MARINA CORUNA.    For more J/80 Spanish Championship sailing information.   Sailing Photo credits- Jesus Renedo.
  

J/80s Win Gotland Runt Race

(Stockholm, Sweden)- By all accounts, the 2010 Eurocard Gotland Runt was a successful regatta. Approximately 2,000 sailors participated on 238 boats, divided into nine classes on three different courses of varied length.  The largest boats sailed 460 nm while the smallest ones completed 310 nm, which is the shortest way to round Gotland from Sandhamn and back. The intention was to complete any course in 48 hours, which many of the sailors did.  The race was completed in excellent weather conditions. Bright sun and enough wind to keep the doldrums away (can't go wrong when the sun sets at 11 pm and rises at 2 am!). The different classes attracted cruising boats as well as advanced, world-class racing machines.

Sailing ORCi Alpha class was Juha Korhonen's J/35 JUMPIN JACK FLASH sailing the intermediate length course.  After all these years, the venerable J/35 continues to sail successfully in offshore handicap racing, proving yet again as they did in the Bermuda Race Doublehanded Class that it's hard to hold back a well-sailed J offshore...whatever its permutation. Juha's JUMPIN JACK FLASH managed a 5th in a very competitive class.

Perhaps the most remarkable performance came from the twin J/80s racing in the SRS Alfa 2 Class.  Winning the class was MK-PRODUKTER, Lars Gellerhed'S J/80 and finishing just out of second, getting third overall in class was BJORNSABBEN, Broderna Wennerstrom's tough as nails J/80 crew.

For more insight on the race, you can also check out Peter Gustaffson's blog at http://www.blur.se, for some great info.  In fact, according to Peter, "The most interesting reporting from Gotland Runt? It comes from my trimmer from the J/109 BLUR, Fredrik Roos (see photo), who runs the trim onboard the J/109 MATADOR. Driving hard!"     Complete Gotland Runt sailing results.      Sailing Photo credits- Oskar Kihlborg
  

J/80 UK East Coasts

(Suffolk, England)- Nigel Theadom reports from way, way East on the British Isles: "The weekend of the 4th and 5th of July saw the first ever get-together of the growing East Coast J/80 fleet and competitors travelled from as far afield as Kent and Cambridge to race at the inaugural J/80 East Coast Championship. The event was run under the auspices of the well established Felixstowe Regatta and was sponsored by Haven Gateway, Adams Brewery and Musto. Run out of the beautifully situated Suffolk Yacht Harbour all visitors received a friendly welcome and full shore service, including 'instant' crane-age on arrival.

Saturday dawned hot with some cloud that eventually cleared the way for a bright sunny day. However, with the gradient breeze and the sea breeze in opposition it made for a difficult day for both PRO Ewen Stampe and also the competitors with some big shifts and holes to watch out for on the race course.  However, by the fifth race on Sunday, the breeze piped upwards of 20 knots, making for a strong finale with the regatta leaders dueling for the top four spots.

With the wind at a steady 20 knots and gusting more, it was DOUBLE JEOPARDY's race from start to finish. With the tide pushing the fleet up to the committee boat and a starboard line bias it was amazing that the fleet started cleanly. Certainly more than one crew had a longer look down the tailpipes of the 50' Sunseeker committee boat than would have been comfortable! The West Mersea boys clearly revel in the heavy stuff and SURF N TURF crossed the line in second. Simon Jacklin and his team on STRUMPET pushed WHITE LIGHTNING hard for the third spot and eventually pipped them on the line.

At the close of the regatta there were just six points separating the top four boats. A close championship and a great weekend. It was also a mighty fine start to a fixture that will surely grow as the East Coast fleet grows. We wait to see whether the softies on the South Coast will rise to the challenge in 2011!

Amazingly, WHITE LIGHTNING, SURF N TURF, and STRUMPET all sailed the 20 miles back to West Mersea straight into 30 knots of breeze! They breed them tough on the East Coast!!"    For more J/80 UK sailing information
  

Spanish Armada Sweeps J/80 Europeans

The Martinez's Re-writing History?

(Lago di Garda, Italy- 27 June)-  With the win of the Spanish boat PERALEJA GOLF, skippered by Carlos Martinez, the Spanish teams may be slowly re-establishing the pre-eminence of Spanish sailors who were once remarkable sailing adventurers that took great risks and opened up the New World (e.g. anything other than Europe) to a wide-eyed European community in the 16th century.

Carlos Martinez and his crew on PERALEJA GOLF from Spain showed what they can do on the water once again after another fantastic day’s racing on the final day. They came 3rd in the first race and 1st in the second and final race of the Championship, giving them 45 points, only one point ahead of the next boat.  Martinez said “Of course we came here to win, but to be honest we didn’t really expect to as we knew how tough the competition was going to be. We knew it was not going to be easy. We have been sailing together as a team now for 3 years and two years ago came 3rd in Kiel and 3rd in the World’s and last year we came 3rd again in the World’s in Santander. So this is our first major win on the international circuit and so makes it extra special for us all.”

On the first day, the racing kicked off with a delayed start. The usual “Ora” wind from the South going up the lake was delayed, which resulted in a delayed start and only two races taking place. Just as the wind was full of surprises, so were the races. The Spanish dominated the leading positions all day finishing first (Luis Martinez Luis), second (ECC VIVIENDAS) and third (PERALEJA GOLF).

The second day saw a complete turn-over in the winner's column with the French leading the day-- as they say, "Vive la France!"  After the day's three races, the French boat ATLANTIS skippered by Laurent Sambran from APLC takes the honor of leading the Europeans with a 9th, 5th and 2nd, giving them 30 points overall. Second overall on the second day was the Italian boat OLJ Spirit steered by Federico Rajola taking 1st, 8th and 14th today giving them 33 points. Following right behind in their shadow, also with 33 points was the Spanish boat FORTY FIVE helmed by Luis Martinez. The British boat TEAM BALTIC WHARF sailed by Henry Bomby was in 4th. So, this scenario set the tone for the next two days, with the four countries and their teams battling it out to maintain or improve their leading positions. The Spanish, however, have five boats in the top ten positions, the French and the Italians have two and the UK just one.

On the third day, the impressive fleet was tested and challenged. Tough competition and a high level of expertise among these crews means that every race was something they all have to fight very hard for, and on this day the top three positions changed again.  The wind was constant and gradually increased throughout the afternoon, providing more stability to the conditions than the championship had previously seen.  On Day 3, a new leader emerged in the form of the Spanish boat PERALEJA GOL,F skippered Golf helmed by Carlos Martinez- they dominated racing with a 1st, 3rd, and 1st today placing them firmly ahead of the rest of the fleet with 22 points. This is not such a surprise to J/80 followers, as they came 3rd in the World’s in Kiel in 2008 and again in Santander in 2009.  Second is another Spanish boat, MUSTANG, helmed by Luis Martinez, a boat that is also often found in the top few places (2nd in the Santander Worlds 2009)-- their 2nd , 8th and 7th, gave them 32 points and were thus 10 points behind the leaders. However, new to such high placing in the international circuit and thus a boat to watch out for in the future, is the Italian boat OLJ Spirit helmed by Federico Rajola- their 25th, 10th and 2nd gave them 41 points and third overall with one day to go.

On the final days racing, the top ten standings flip-flopped yet again.  Behind regatta winner PERALEJA GOLF in 2nd overall was the Spanish boat MUSTANG helmed by Luis Martinez, finishing the day with a 2nd and 12th. This team also had a 13 year old boy crewing for them; no doubt someone for us all to watch out for on the water in the future! Third overall was yet another Spanish boat, NEXTEL ENGINEERING helmed by Rodriguez Camino who today had a 7th and spectacular 1st finishing with 58 points. One point behind in 4th position, was another Spanish boat ECC VIVIENDAS helmed by Jose Maria Turcida in 1st and 10th position in the last day's racing. It's clear the Spanish J/80 fleets are producing world-class sailors from their year-round racing in Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, Bilbao and Santander.

TEAM BALTIC skippered by Henry Bomby from England finished 5th overall, despite having a 6th and a disappointing 31 on the final day. This team showed great consistency throughout the Championship and have proved themselves to be a boat with great potential. The French boat ATLANTIS, helmed by Laurent Sambron came in 19th and 11th today, resulting in them losing a few places. But this team, too, have displayed some great sailing this week. Dropping a few positions today after a bad start in the first race, OLJ SPIRIT helmed by Rajola Federico took a 29th and 18th today which meant they finished 7th overall and top Italian team. In 8th position overall there was yet another Spanish boat CROCS helmed by Javier Aguado who had a 15th and 8th. Two French boats keep the French tri-color flag flying in 9th and 10th positions overall, giving them three boats in the top ten positions. In 9th was GEODIS steered by Luc Nadal who actually had two 9th positions today and in 10th position overall was ECOLE NAVALE CG29 helmed by Patrick Bot. This year’s Italian Championship winners, TEAM JENIALE! finished 11th after a great day on the water today with an 8th and 3rd.  The top German boat was PROCEDES DIVA who finished 13th and the top Dutch boat was JOIE DE VIVRE finishing in 14th position. In 15th position was the German boat CAMPAIGN. For Estonia, TEAM NAUTILUS came in 26th and also from far afield, MOONRAKER from Poland finished 38th.   For more J/80 Europeans sailing information.      Photo Credits- Jaco Poraule
  

J/80 Europeans - Lago di Garda

Team Baltic Joins 50 Boats

(Dartmouth, England)- Team Baltic, a young J/80 team from Dartmouth, sponsored by Baltic Wharf boatyard, Totnes, had a great start to their season winning the J/80 Class at the 2010 J-Cup hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club in the Solent. The Team were using the regatta as training for the J/80 Europeans on Lake Garda where they will compete this week.  The team consists of 4 crew members all under the age of 24. Henry Bomby (19) helm, Henry Bagnall (23) tactician, Ryan Gerrish (22) trimmer, and Ellie Mittler (17) on bow. And for the J Cup was helped by stand in crew Robbie Southwell (16) and Lizzie Shawcroft (22), filling in due to exam commitments.

Joining them will be several UK, European and World Champions, including Ian Atkins' boats.com and the NEXTEL ENGINEERING Team from Spain. The much anticipated J/80 European Championship is about to begin. Around 50 boats from Italy, Spain, France, Great Britain, Holland, Estonia and Poland have arrived at Lake Garda all raring to go.  Hosted by Fraglia Vela Malcesine, the championship is now underway. At the Opening Ceremony this evening, the competitors were welcomed by the President of the Malecesine Yacht Club (Fraglia Vela Malcesine), the international racing jury, the measurer, the commodore of the Yacht Club, the Italian and International J/80 Presidents - all there to ensure the competitors a warm welcome, a well organised event, and a memorable championship.   For more J/80 Europeans sailing information
  

J/80 Gran Prix Iberdrola

Turismo do Algarve Wins

(June 5-6- Barcelona, Spain)- A strong seventeen boat fleet attended this well-run regatta hosted by Real Club Nautico de Barcelona.  After a gorgeous first day of racing with good wind, partly cloudy skies and four excellent races, the expectation was for an epic battle for first  place between Hugo Rocha on TURISMO DO ALGARVE and Josep Maria Pujol during Sunday's racing.  However, light winds, rain and overcast simply washed out the proceedings.  Hugo Rocha, who won the Copa de Espana only one week earlier, counted two first and two seconds to win by two points.  The silver went to the FLASH BACK team skippered by Josep Maria Pujol with a first, second, third and fifth, while CROCS, sailed by Javier Aguado Blanco took the bronze with a second, two fourths and a sixth.   For more Spanish J/80 sailing information     Photo credits: Alfredo Farre

JENIALE Wins J/80 Italian Championships

(Lago di Garda, Italy- 14 June)-  With the last day's racing at Malcesine wrapped up, JENIALE! of Extreme Sailing Team are the winners of the Italian National Championships 2010. In the stunning area of Navene, Fraglia Vela Malcesine assured impeccable organization and Lake Garda provided 3 days of consistent wind of around 15-20 knots allowing the full schedule of races to take place.

On the first race of the first day, JENIALE! was over the line at the start, one of four boats to be so. Not a great start to  the championship, but they quickly recovered with two first places in the 2nd and 3rd races of the day. And so, after the first day's racing, the German boat ANAKIN took the lead with 3 second places and one third place. Second after the first day, was the Italian boat ORSO J of Giorgio Guzzi (helm Elli) with a 1st, 3rd and 5th. JENAILIE! lay in 3rd position overall after day one.

The second day of the regatta saw all the boats fighting hard, most heading closer to the land where the wind was stronger. This offered the spectators a good close up of the regatta but also made it very busy with all the boats tacking inshore, working hard for the best positions. The results on the second day saw JENAILAE! ITA-1143 take an impressive lead with one third, one second and one first. ANAKIN followed closely behind, only 2 points away from, and ORSO J, six points behind.

The final day began tensely, with everyone waiting for the wind to arrive. The 11am start was postponed but at 12.15 the "ora" wind arrived and starting procedures got under way. The first race once again saw most of the boats head inland, with ANAKIN taking the lead and JENIALE! following less than a boat length behind. The two boats remained in close battle for the entire race, with ORSO J a close third just behind. The positions remained so until the finish. The third and final race saw JENAILE! take the lead very quickly, with the German boat ANAKIN right behind and relentlessly covering every move. JENAILE! took a course through the middle of the lake this time. It was a risky move, but ANAKIN followed JENIALE! closely, battling with all that they had. The rest of the fleet hugged the land lead by ORSO J and HATAMURI OLJ SPIRIT who were juggling for third and fourth position. But the final race concluded with JENAILE! in first position, ORSO J in second, HATAMURI OLJ SPIRIT in third and ANAKIN in fourth. And so after 3 days of exciting top class racing, JENIALE! won the championship. The J/80 boat proved to be highly technical and extremely entertaining when sailed 'to the max' as this regatta showed.  For further information or more photos, please contact Maris Lyons (marislyons@aol.com)
  

Gonzalo Rocha Wins J/80 Copa de Espana

(Barcelona, Spain- May 29-30)- Real Club Nautico de Barcelona and the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation hosted the fourth J/80 Copa de Espana, a prelude to the J/80 Spanish Championships next month.  Sailing TURISMO DE ALGARVE, Hugo Gonzalo Rocha and Araújo, who was competing under the pennant of Arenys de Mar Boat Club, have been proclaimed champions.  Second overall was PERALEJA GOLF skippered by Carlos Martinez from the Real Club de Regatas Santiago de la Ribera and third overall was GUNTER, skippered by Javier Scherk from RCNB, the host club.

The fleet had good wind conditions for the first day, with four races run by the RCNB Race Committee in 9 knot winds from ESE to SE, with some large windshifts making it a challenge for some of the crews.  It was clear from the beginning of the regatta that it would be a three-way battle for the podium with Rocha, Martinez and the defending champions, Ignacio Camino sailing NEXTEL ENGINEERING, fighting for the top spots.  However, two bad races (a ninth and thirteenth) by Camino took him out of the running early, opening the door for Scherk's GUNTER to take third overall.

Hugo Rocha, tactician on TURISMO DE ALGARVE said, "It's been a very positive experience, with the competitive fleet that is in Barcelona it is very important to keep up with good, consistent races.  The level that is in the City is of very high quality, with the world champion in 2008, among others- Camino's NEXTEL ENGINEERING. The results were more or less expected, although I note Javier Scherk who has had a wonderful day and I'm happy because he is my friend."

Carlos Martinez sailing PERALEJA GOLF said, "It was a beautiful day for sailing .. 7 to 9 knots of wind. A good level for training and that after the Copa de Espana, we go to the Europeans in Italy and then to the Worlds Newport.  The secret of our success is undoubtedly the crew-- the four owners have all sailed together for a long time for Club Deportivo. We have been sailing together for many years in this type of boat, in the four races on the first day the windward leg was favored on the right, so if you make a bad start or stay in the middle of the fleet is difficult to make good gains."

Javier Scherk, owner and skipper of GUNTER, said "I am delighted with today- sun and wind- happy sailor!  The race course has been very tight, the groups of boats came within seconds apart-- this is what happens when we compete against the world elite of J80. We take the Copa de Espana as seriously as the World Championship to be held in Newport, I'll be proud to represent the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, which again demonstrates just as everybody knows how to organize races."    For more Copa de Espana sailing information.     Photo credits: Jesus Renedo
  

J/80 Europeans Preview

(Lago di Garda, Italy- June 21-26)- Massimo Rama, J/80 Europeans Regatta Chairman, reports that excitement has been growing for this year's J/80 Europeans being hosted by Malsacine Yacht Club on the picturesque Lago di Garda.  A venue renowned not only for great sailing, but also for the remarkable northern Italian cuisine.  To date, fifty-two entries from eight countries are competing.  As Massimo remarked, "I really think it's a great success, especially considering the "economic situation" in Europe.  Represented are top teams from Italy, France, England, Germany, Estonia, Spain, Netherlands, Poland.  From England will be the newly crowned J/80 UK National Champion, Ian Atkins on boats.com as well as last race winner Terry Palmer on JUST DO IT.  The J/80 2010 French National Champion will also be represented, Eric Brezellec and his crew JACCUZZI / GOLD SAILING.   Jean-Charles Moriceau and his team on INTERFACE CONCEPT 1 are always near the top as is Luc Nadal and Laurent Sambron on ATLANTIS.  The leading Spanish teams include familiar names like J/80 champions Jose Maria Torcida on ECC VIVIENDAS and World Champion Ignacio Rodriguez Camino on NEXTEL ENGINEERING.  This group of sailors are some seriously tough hombres, it will make for some great competition and an excellent warm-up for this year's J/80 Worlds in Newport.   For more info on sailing the J/80 Europeans.
  

J/80s Racing Santa Margherita

BEAR J GUZZI and JENIALE Winners

(Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy)-  It was a busy weekend for the J/80 class in Santa Margherita, with the final races of the Winter Championship Trophy and the Trofeo Grand Hotel Miramare being sailed in the azure Mediterranean waters just off the beautiful harbor and delicious cafes of Portofino.

The Italian Navy League of Santa Margherita were the perfect hosts, who are committed for five years to an event that keeps growing every year and is becoming a favorite of sailors in the region.  Two races were completed on Saturday with some difficulties due to the lack of wind; forcing the committee to shorten the courses both times.  However, on Sunday a strong ENE wind veered into the SSE gusting to 16-18 knots with beautiful white-capped waves.  As a result, everyone had tremendous fun surfing down the waves and sailing two challenging races.

On Saturday, JENIALE sailed to a 1-2, convincingly winning the J/80 Winter Championship.  Second was BEAR J GUZZI and third was OLD SPIRIT sailed by Hatamuri Rajola.  Sunday was a completely different story racing for the Trofeo Grand Hotel Miramare.  After sailing to a 1-1, JENIALE later found out that one of their firsts was an OCS premature start, dropping them down in the standings to second.  Instead, the final results of the Trophy Grand Hotel Miramare are then: first BEAR J GUZZI, second JENIALE and third JOCONDA MIRELLA ARATA.   If you get a chance, please check out the NEW J/80 Italy website!  Amici, buon lavoro!   

Whitmore Wins J/80 Saltsjobad Regatta

(Saltsjobad, Sweden- May 25th)- The J/80s are warming up in Sweden with some of the leaders of this fleet aiming to get in enough sailing to perform well at this year's J/80 World Championships in Newport, RI.  One crew in particular that is hoping to sail in Newport is Tom Whitmore's on HUNDEN sailing for KSSS.   They've started off their 2010 Dynamant Cup season long championship very strongly, leading this series by winning the Saltsjobad Regatta with a 2-5-1-6-1-2 score.  In second for the regatta was Christer Faith-Ell, sailing brilliantly at times and at others seemingly having the wheels fall off the shopping trolley.  Christer's 1-1-8-1-4-5 for 20 points was insufficient to overcome Tom's more consistent sailing.  Third was Viking Kjellstrom racing VADERLEK to a 5-2-3-3-6-3 record for 22 points, just beating out by one point the team of HEAVY DUTY sailed by Pontus Tornlund.  Fifth was Jonas Dannaeus sailing A2.

In the J/80 Dynamant Cup 2010 season series, Lars Gellerhed on MK-PRODUCKTER has dropped to second overall behind Whitmore's HUNDEN and Pontus Tornlund's HEAVY DUTY has ascended into third overall.  For more J/80 Sweden sailing info.  

J/80s Racing "Sail-East" Regattas

(West Mersea, England)-  The first of the season's five Hutton Construction and HCC Insurance International sponsored Sail-East Regattas took place on the River Blackwater estuary over the weekend of 15th and 16th May.

The event organised by West Mersea's Dabchicks Sailing Club. 26 yachts from around the region took part, with Saturday's first race sailed in a light breeze, before the strong tide and fickle air in the second race made for extremely testing conditions. The wind then increased to a steady force three for Sunday's race, which blew away hangovers from Saturday evening's traditional party and ceiling walking festivities (Michael Jackson "moon-walking" upside down??).

Taking the top position in the J/80 class was home club skipper Nick Glanvill sailing his newly acquired J/80 JALFREZI, which had race placings of second, twelfth and fourth.  Typifying the usual closeness of Sail East inshore yacht racing, only two minutes covered the top eight positions in the final race of nearly two hours.

Sail-East now looks forward to the second event of the season, the Felixstowe Regatta on 3rd and 4th July, when two days of sharp racing round windward/leeward courses is promised.   For more Sail East regatta and sailing information.  

Brezellec Wins J/80 French Nationals

(Brest, France)- Sailing as part of the Grand Prix Ecole Navale in Brest, the large forty-nine boat J/80 class conducted their 2010 French Nationals.  Eric Brezellec and his crew won. And how! At the end of the ten races run off Brest in the Grand Prix Ecole Navale, Eric's J/80 JACCUZZI / GOLD SAILING finished 33 points ahead of second, never finishing below 6th place. Undeniable victory as they say!

Sylvain Pellissier and Dominic Vittet on VOILERIE ALL PURPOSE finished second, as they did at SPI OUEST France earlier in the spring. They take a serious hold to the lead for the J/80 Coupe de France 2010 series as a result of this finish.  Finally, Jean-Charles Moriceau and his team on INTERFACE CONCEPT 1 complete this superb podium, getting third overall.

Eric Brezellec said, "We're really pleased, especially since we sailed together for the first time. But the crew were all Brestois ... this helped because here the wind shifted a lot and the waters are very complex. It's very hard for the nerves. We wish to thank the organization for very nice event and congratulate the excellent race committee who handled the conditions brilliantly. "  For more J/80 France sailing information  

Royal St. George Win Cumberland Cup in J/80s

(London, England) - With a close to perfect score, Andrew Fowler's team of Sam Hurst, Brendan Fafliani, John Sheehy, Nick Smyth, Guy O'Leary, Peter Bailey and Phil Lawton from Royal St George YC in Dublin, Ireland, won the 2010 Royal Thames Cumberland Cup from Ian Ilsley's team from Yacht Club de Monaco.  Firm friend and arch-rival were the Southern Yacht Club of New Orleans that  finished third, claiming by dint of that result the Bourgne Cup, contested on each and every occasion the clubs meet.

The seven teams sailed a total of 54 races over three days at Queen Mary Water hard by Heathrow airport.  A classic bright scarlet Routemaster double-decker omnibus, that iconic symbol of London,  ferried the crews to and from the RTYC's Knightsbridge clubhouse.

Sailing in a fleet of eight carefully-matched J/80s, the competition began with a two-day double round-robin in which each team raced each other team twice. St George topped the league, winning 11 out of their 12 matches and losing only to the hosts and current holders, Royal Thames, and thus apparently setting the scene for the finals. It was a scene dramatically re-shaped by the winner-take-all nature of the Cumberland Cup's competition structure.

With teams traveling from across the globe to compete in this regatta, the organizers deliberately eschew a competition format that eliminates teams early from the competition, espousing instead a format that keeps every team sailing into the final round. The result is The Ladder. On The Ladder, a win carries the double bonus of promotion to the next rung - but every loss earns the double-penalty of relegation. On The Ladder, it is just possible by dint of really good sailing to redeem a disappointing result in the round-robin and climb all the way to the top - as did the Monegasques - while the series leaders - in this case the Irish - must not put a foot wrong if they are to retain their fingertip grip on the crown. -- Malcolm McKeag   For more Cumberland Cup J/80 sailing / regatta information  

Lady's Sailing Team- France J/80

You have to check out this cute blog from a remarkable group of women sailing in France.  This year, this "Lady's Sailing Team" fielded three entries for the 32nd SPI OUEST France! They certainly enjoyed the sailing and the camaraderie socializing with many new friends in La Trinite Sur Mer, the beautiful seaside town that hosts this enormous regatta.  In this photo are- Moana, Pauline, Tara,  Allyson, Cecil-- these gals all raced in the 2010 SPI OUEST J/80 class.  Based on this level of enthusiasm racing their J/80s, it's no wonder French women are the leaders in the ISAF Women's Match Race rankings. Read more about their team and approach to sailing here (all French, but Google Translate does an OK translation).   Lady's Sailing Team- SPI OUEST report.      Lady's Sailing Team Blog.  

Santander J/80 Maqueche Trophy

Piris' FONESTAR Beats the House!

(Santander, Spain)- The Spanish teams continue to build on their competitiveness in the J/80 class.  A strong fleet assembled for Santander's Maqueche Trophy sailed off Isla Santa Marina, with Real Club Marítimo de Santander playing host. 

Few could imagine that after scoring four straight wins in the first half of the regatta that FONESTAR could lose the top spot, but that's the way it is in the Santander J/80 fleet. After sailing ECC VIVIENDAS to a sensational series of 1-1-1-2 in the second half of the regatta, the crew of Pichu Torcida and Juan Gonzalez were just a single point away from overall victory.  On the last leg of the last race, Jaime Piris sailed FONESTAR back into contention to just hold on to their tenuous lead in this highly competitive fleet.

If the fight for the lead was creating a lot of anxiety between Piris' and Torcida's crew, there was even more emotion as to who would take the third overall- a virtual three-way tie going into the last race.  In the end, David Madrazo's LUPA won the tie-breaker and took third overall with thirty points.  Tono Gorostegui sailed FUNDESTIC well, but not enough to overcome some bad scores to finish fourth on the tie-breaker.  Alberto Padron's MABLE got the short end of the stick on a few tactical calls and hung in there to finish fifth overall.   For more Spanish J/80 sailing info
  

J/80 UK National Championship

Ian Atkins' BOATS.COM Triumphant

(Cardiff, Wales, UK)-  The Tacktick Suunto J/80 UK National Championship was hosted by the Cardiff Bay Yacht Club and was presided over by PRO David Cairncross. The fleet were greeted by more breeze on Saturday morning than they had enjoyed over the previous two days of the Championship; a blustery 15 to 23 knots blowing from the cold North East. Going in to the final day only seven points separated the top three at the Championship; BOATS.COM, ELLE S'APPELLE and PURPLE HAZE.

Race Seven was won by JUST DO IT, helmed by Terry Palmer. Having mastered their downwind big breeze sailing at the Spi Ouest Regatta at Easter (alongside 92 other J/80s) the JUST DO IT squad had been hoping for something a little more fruity than on the previous two days, and were duly rewarded. Tom Phipps and Kelvin Matthews sailing for the British Keelboat Academy finished second and Ian Atkins took third place in BOATS.COM.

Having had a couple of frustrating days at the Championship, Kelvin Matthews, sailing with Tom Phipps for the British Keelboat Academy, went on the record on Friday when he said 'We've not yet put in our best performance at this event'. Delighting in the heavier breeze, British Keelboat Academy duly went out on Saturday morning and nailed the second race, Race Eight of the series. In second place was STEP TOE (one of the four boats entered by the charity Toe in The Water) and Ian Atkins settled for a safe third, enough to win him and his team from BOATS.COM the Tacktick Suunto J/80 UK National Championship with a race to spare. Nice one all; Ian Atkins on Helm, Rob Lark on Tactics, Dan Brown on Trim and Karen Schwerdt on 'Pit and making everything happen'.  The final race of the championship, Race Nine, was also won by BOATS.COM; a fitting finish to a consistent and impressive campaign.  The final results saw Ian Atkins team on BOATS.COM sailing to only sixteen points, followed by Thor Askeland's ELLE S'APPELLE with twenty five points and lying third was Scott Cole sailing PURPLE HAZE just eight points back.

It was heartwarming to see the teams sailing for TOE IN THE WATER charity do so well, with three of the four teams finishing in the top ten.  The TITW charity aims to encourage and rehabilitate injured servicemen and women through the sport of sailing.  The "top Toe" was STEP TOE in sixth, followed by LITTLE TOE in eighth and TIP TOE in ninth-- good show there gang!   For J/80 UK Nationals info      Photo credits- Tim Wright  

Royal Thames YC's Cumberland Cup Race J/80s

(London, England) The international battle for the honour of winning the world's oldest yachting trophy - dating back to 1775 and established some 76 years before the America's Cup - will be hosted by the Royal Thames Yacht Club on May 12-16.  The Cumberland Cup is the UK's only regularly-held international two-boat team racing event in keelboats, and the only event to take place in the capital-- sailing on J/80s!  Team racing with four boats, two-on-two, makes for some spectacular  sailing-- last place loses!

This year the event is supported by the Royal Thames Yacht Club corporate partner, the luxury Swiss watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet, and has attracted entries from clubs as far afield as Australia, Germany, Ireland, Monaco, New Zealand, USA as well as the UK.

Held every two years, the 2010 race takes place at Queen Mary Sailing Club, which is situated on one of London's largest reservoirs, conveniently close to London's Heathrow Airport for the arrival of the international crews.

The eight teams - representing the Royal Perth Yacht Club of Western Australia; a combined Norddeutsche Regatta Verein & Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee representing Germany; Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club of New Zealand; Royal St George Yacht Club, Ireland; Southern Yacht Club of New Orleans, USA; Yacht Club de Monaco, as well as a team from the host club, Royal Thames Yacht Club - will battle for the honour of winning the Cumberland Cup in the Royal Thames Yacht Club's fleet of identical J/80 One-Design sailboats- Europe's fastest growing one-design keelboat.

The Cumberland Cup was established in 1775 when the Duke of Cumberland, brother of George III, put up a silver cup for a race on the River Thames and formed the Cumberland Fleet.  This remains the alternative name for the Royal Thames Yacht Club, which is based at Knightsbridge.  For more Cumberland Cup sailing / regatta information  

J/80 SW NOOD Champion- Terry Flynn Interview

* Terry Flynn- a past J/80 World Champion had a great time in the recent SW Annapolis NOOD Regatta, in particular since he had long-time Texas friend Mark Foster sailing with him (a former 470 Champion with Mark Ploch and J/24 Champion, too).  Sailing World's Mike Lovett interviewed Terry, read on below:

With a first-time crew, Terry Flynn won the J/80 class—and the overall prize—at the 2010 Sperry Top-Sider Annapolis NOOD.  As the J/80 freight train rolls northward on its USA Tour, bound for the World Championships in Newport, R.I., in October, the class just keeps picking up steam. The 36-boat fleet at the 2010 Sperry Top-Sider Annapolis NOOD was the largest of the regatta's 16 divisions, and, arguably, the most competitive.

Over the course of eight races, four boats posted first-place finishes; Houston native Terry Flynn had just one bullet in his scoreline, but his team sailed with enough consistency to win both the division and the overall prize, which includes an invitation to compete in the NOOD Championship in the B.V.I. in November.

The Annapolis NOOD was the first time Flynn had sailed with his crew of David Whelan, Mark Foster, and Charlie Snyder, but the Quantum sailmaker had no trouble getting everyone on the same page. "Too many times, when it's your first time sailing together as a crew, everybody's real quiet the first race of the regatta, and you do terrible," says Flynn. "We made an effort to say, 'You start giving input, and if we don't want to hear it, we'll tell you."

With Foster and Snyder feeding information to Whelan, the tactician, Flynn was able to concentrate on steering the boat through the light wind and mixed-up chop on Chesapeake Bay. "I didn't do anything but drive," he says. "I put my head down, concentrated on keeping the boat moving, and listened to what they wanted me to do. I very rarely got involved in the tactical end of things. I'm pretty good at listening, and they're pretty good a putting me where we need to be.

"It's important for everyone on board to give feedback," continues Flynn. "I've been on boats where the tactician doesn't really share the information, he just kind of tells the skipper when to tack. But I think it's important that the skipper know the thought process. That way, it's not like, 'Why are we doing this?'"

Refined communication, uncharacteristically good starts—"I historically have terrible starts," says Flynn—and close attention to changes in wind speed propelled Flynn's team to victory. And, apparently, word is spreading that the affable Texan is a fun guy with whom to sail. "I've already had a few people come up and tell me they want to go to the B.V.I. to crew with me," he says.

Between now and November, Flynn will be competing in the J/80 North American Championships, the aforementioned Worlds, and the J/22 North American Championship. So there's a good chance that, by the time he hops aboard that Sunsail 39 in Tortola, Flynn could have a few more feathers in his cap—and a few more eager crew members.   More SW NOOD Regatta coverage.  

J/80 UK Nationals Preview

(Cardiff, England)- The Tacktick Suunto J/80 UK National Championship 2010 commences this week. The event will be hosted by the Cardiff Bay Yacht Club, racing will take place in the Bristol Channel under the watchful eye of PRO David Cairncross. The J/80 is the fastest selling sportsboat in Europe and the UK J/80 class is delighted that marine electronics specialists Tacktick Suunto are sponsoring the event.

The competition in Cardiff will be hotly fought; alongside the travellers there will be a strong local field of five J/80 teams. J/80 International Class Chairman, Steve Cooper, will be competing in JUNIOR HIGH. Steve sailed the J/80 Worlds in Santander last year. Another local, Scott Cole and his team on PURPLE HAZE, are known to be fast-- both these boats know the sailing area well.

Toe In The Water, a charity that aims to encourage and rehabilitate injured servicemen and women through the sport of sailing, have four boats entered in the regatta. The relationship between the charity and the UK J/80 Class has been established for over three years now. Whilst these crews don’t get to sail with each other as frequently as many of the others at the Nationals, in the past the Toe In The Water teams have proved tactically strong and have shown skilful boat handling as well as pace.

The British Keelboat Academy will be represented by Tom Phipps and Kelvin Matthews. These lads got really strong results at the championships in 2009 and will be well worth watching. The Britannia Royal Naval College will also be racing for the Championship title in J/80 WAVE WARRIOR skippered by Joe Henry.

From the Solent, Thor Askeland makes his J/80 National Championship debut, racing  ELLE S'APPELLE. Thor won the Autumn Champs in Hamble last year and has shown more than a few moments of brilliance throughout the spring season. Terry Palmer (J/80 UK Class Chairman) and Caroline Cooper slotted in a top three result in the 93 boat J/80 fleet at Spi Ouest earlier this year, racing JUST DO IT. Ian Atkins will also be making the trip to Cardiff; having won 5 of 7 races last weekend in the Warsash Spring Series, Ian and his crew on BOATS.COM will always be a force to be reckoned with.   For J/80 UK Nationals sailing info    Photo credits- Tim Wright/ Photoaction.com