Southampton Boat Show- Displaying J/70 & J/112E
(Southampton, England)- Key Yachting Ltd will be exhibiting the J/70 and the new J/112E sport-cruiser at the Southampton Boat Show running from 16th to 25th September. Please join us at marina berths 431-435.

The Famous J/70 Sportsboat- 1,100 strong!
The J/70 is J/Boats’ first slipway-launchable keelboat- designed to fulfill the growing need for an easy-to-own, high-performance one-design, that is exciting to sail, stable enough sailboat for the family, and built to last. A natural evolution of its J pedigree, the J/70’s 7m of sailing length with high aspect, all carbon rig and deep lifting keel, provides spirited performance and stability that feels like a much larger boat. There are now 70 boats sailing in the UK, with an active class association and one design programme. 25 boats sailed Cowes Week. 16 women's teams loved sailing the Women's Worlds in them! There are over 1,100 boats worldwide!  Learn more about the J/70 speedster here

NEW J/112E Sport Cruiser!
The J/112E is the newest addition to J/Boats’ “E” range of versatile performance sailing yachts. At our most popular size of 36 feet, the J/112E features a spacious two-cabin, aft head accommodation plan and a comfortable, ergonomic cockpit. She is as well-suited for the annual family cruise as she is racing under IRC or sailing short-handed through rough weather. Like the new J/122E, the 112 benefits from significantly more natural light by way of large port lights and optional hull ports. The varnished walnut finish adds just the right proportion of classic, wood accents without taking away from the incredible sense of space.

The J/112E joins her sisterships, the J/97E and J/122E, as an exceptional upwind performer. V-shaped bow sections provide superior directional stability and reduced slamming in waves. Freeboard forward and topside flare help to keep the deck dry. A long waterline combined with a low vertical centre of gravity results in a smooth, sea-kindly motion– more like that of a 40 footer. Learn more about the J/112E sport-cruiser here

For more Southampton Boat Show tickets & information click here, or please contact Key Yachting on +44-02380-455669 or email info@keyyachting.com.

Marblehead ONE Regatta Fun 4 All!

J/70s, J/105s, PHRF Enjoy Perfect Weather
Marblehead, MA- The ONE Regatta (Offshore New England's) in Marblehead was conducted in ideal conditions over a period of three days, 26-28th of August, off Marblehead MA. The three Marblehead yacht clubs (Boston, Corinthian & Eastern) provided outstanding Race Committees on three courses. This year, it was Eastern YC’s turn to host the shore-side festivities and unparalleled post-race experience!

For the J/105 class, the Boston YC RC did a brilliant job by orchestrating no less than 10 races in very difficult conditions at times, led by PRO Karen Tenenbaum. This was an all time high number of races for this event, spanning over 30 years (formerly called "PHRF NE's").

The fleet of fourteen J/105s had a star-studded cast: "Merlin" sporting no less than two Mallory Cup winners; "Got Qi" with stand-out intercollegiate sailor Dave Nelson at the helm- last year's winner and multiple MA Bay Champions; "Blown Away", Fleet 2 captain Fred deNapoli's "allegro Semplicita" with intercollegiate All-American Nick Burke calling tactics; and visiting teams from as far away as Dallas, Texas (including last month's Marblehead NOOD regatta runner up- "Two Feathers").

After an extremely challenging first day it was a local boat, "Knotless", helmed by Marblehead sailor Ken Bowden who topped the leader board, and another new addition to the fleet, "Aqua Boggie" (formerly "Steal Away"), in the hunt with "Got Qui" and "allegro" fighting it out for 3rd and 4th.  The second day the PRO Karen Tenenbaum ran no less than 5 races, and when the smoke cleared once again, "Knotless" held the lead, while "Got Qui" and "allegro" were in close pursuit.  The final day's 3 races saw Nelson and deNapoli trade off firsts with a “do-or-die” final shoot out with the score tied.  DeNapoli was over early by a foot and so after 10 races Nelson and his team went on to win the final race and the event by 2 points, well earned!  Hard to imagine a better series, a great warm up for the North Americans!

The highly competitive J/70 class produced a surprise winner!  Steine Skanne sailed SHRED to victory over a rock-star studded group of sailors, including Stew Neff’s AFRICA in 2nd place and Henry Brauer’s RASCAL in 3rd.  The balance of the top five included Ted Johnson’s VITAMIN-J and the duo of Chris Boulter/ Tyler Doyle on CLOWN CAR finishing 4th & 5th, respectively.

Over in the PHRF world, it was tight racing for the J/111s and J/122 in PHRF Class 1.  Top J/crew was Tom Mager’s J/122 GIGI in 3rd place followed by Gary Weisberg’s J/111 HEATWAVE in 4th position.  The big winner in PHRF Class 3 was Daniel Boyd’s J/109 WILDTHING, counting all bullets in their winning 6 pts net scoreline!  Third was the Blodgett & Blodgett team on the J/33 SCIROCCO.  In the newly created JAM Class (jibs & mains), it was Jeff Kent’s J/35 BLACK SEAL that won class!   For more Marblehead ONE Regatta sailing information

Newport Trio Trump J/22 World Championship!

(Kingston, ONT, Canada)- The world-famous CORK International Sailing Week was host to the 2015 J/22 World Championship, held in Kingston, Ontario.  Forty-six teams participating from Canada (15 boat), the Cayman Islands (three teams) and the USA (28 crews) sailed an amazing four-day series, with Mike Marshall’s crew of Luke Lawrence and Todd Hiller from Newport, RI winning the regatta in the thrilling finale.

After three days and nine races, the ultimate outcome for the regatta came down to the final few races.  On Wednesday, it was another day of champagne sailing conditions on Lake Ontario with sustained winds of 12-15 knots for the three races. Brad Julian won the first two meetings, followed by Travis Odenbach and Jeff Todd in race seven, and by Chris Gaffney and Doyle in race eight. Behind Marshall in race nine were Terry Flynn and Jeff Todd.

By way of a victory in Wednesday’s third race, Mike Marshall’s team was tied at 30 points for the overall lead with the New York-based team of Chris Doyle, Will Harris and Adam Burns. Jeff Todd was still in the hunt in third place with 35 points. Marshall had been discarding a 10, but with a 16th in race 8, the team needed to rebound to keep pace with Doyle who took a four-point advantage into Wednesday’s final battle.  As a result, Marshall held the overall lead with the tie-breaker being the three bullets. Reigning World Champion Doyle maintained a consistent tally by counting all top five finishes.

At dawn on the final day, the after effects of an overnight storm left breeze in the mid-20s, so the Race Committee postponed on shore. But, it didn’t take long for the winds to subside to the upper teens, so the flag came down allowing for the showdown between Marshall and Doyle.  It was a “do-or-die” scenario for the two leaders; it took every leg of the final race to determine the winner.  With a second place finish in Thursday’s only race, Marshall’s team was declared the 2016 J/22 World Champions.  Brad Julian won the race, while Doyle placed sixth in the race but second overall with 36 net points. Jeff Todd took third with 43 points.

“We went into Thursday with the idea that it’s really three teams (Todd was 5 points behind Marshall and Doyle), so it changes the whole dynamic. If it’s two people, you can do a little bit more match racing,” explained Marshall. “We just wanted to sail the best possible race we could, and we executed our plan exactly as we wanted to. We got the first cross, and from there we were able to control the race.”  Rounding out the top five were Travis Odenbach’s HONEY BADGER in 4th place and Brad Julian’s crew in 5th position.

Over the 10-race series, only two races were sailed under 15 knots, and 9 knots was the lightest. “Kingston as a venue is just spectacular,” praised Marshall. “This week was totally different than what Kingston is normally, which is about going left. This week, it was all about going right.” Marshall thanked the Race Committee and PRO David Sprague for their efficient execution, saying, “They changed marks when they needed to, dealt with two shoals on either side and set the right length courses. They were cranking out the races without much downtime.”   For more J/22 World Championship sailing information

Berliner YC Win SAILING Champions League- RUSSIA!

(St Petersburg, Russia)- It was a successful first day for the SAILING Champions League in St. Petersburg, hosted by St Petersburg YC. In good weather, 23 Clubs from 12 nations were battling hard but fair, pleasing both host and participants. After day one, the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (Germany) was leading the fleet, followed by the Berliner Yacht-Club (Germany) and the Regattaclub Bodensee (Switzerland).

For the third time in the history of sailing, the SAILING Champions League was taking place in matched International J/70 one-designs. Everybody was keen on participating in this new, international Club competition. The first day of the regatta provided the sailors with good conditions, successfully completing 14 races. The Norddeutscher Regatta Verein was in the lead after four consecutive wins.

"We were a bit lucky in the first four races to win four times in a row. In the fifth race we misread the wind, but still managed to lead the fleet after the first day and, of course, we are very happy about that,” said Tobias Schadewaldt, helmsman of the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein.

The 23 sailing clubs from across Europe were fighting for one of 14 starting positions in the Grand SCL Finals in September in Porto Cervo, Italy. In Sardinia, it will be all about the silver bowl by Robbe & Berking and the title of “Europe´s BEST SAILING CLUB.”

Day Two
It was champagne sailing on day two- simply amazing conditions! 20 knots of wind and full sunshine spoiled both sailors and spectators. Sailing conditions like these might be expected in Porto Cervo, but not in Russia. The Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (Germany) defended their lead. First runner-up was the Berliner Yacht Club (Germany), followed by the Société Nautique de Genève (Switzerland).

Nothing seems to stop the German Champions from 2013 and 2014. Tobias Schadewaldt and his crew won three more races on Saturday and continued to lead the fleet. “We were completely satisfied with today’s results. The Berliner Yacht Club being so close behind us proves how strong the fleet in St. Petersburg is,” commented Tobias Schadewaldt from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein from Hamburg.

The team from the Berliner Yacht Club with helmsman Stephan Mölle is just as competitive, despite strong competition. With four wins in a row, they defended their second place in the table. “It was a perfect day. Only the last race was really rough, when our jib ripped apart. Luckily the judges leveled this race, so overall we only had first places today,” said Valentin Gebhard from the Berliner Yacht Club.

The regatta had to be cancelled in the afternoon after 14 races due to strong winds of more than 30 knots!  It appeared that some crews were being challenged by the extremely puffy conditions.

Day Three Finale
Amazingly, St. Petersburg laid on a third day of picture-perfect international sailing. Thrilling head-to-head races in front of spectacular scenery was a big treat for both sailors and spectators. In the end, the Berliner Yacht-Club (Germany) held their nerve and took over the lead in their last battle with their rivals Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (Germany) who were runners-up ahead of third placed Société Nautique de Genève (Switzerland). The first 16 teams are qualified for the grand final in Porto Cervo end of September.

It was a tense battle between two German Clubs: The Berliner Yacht-Club was hard on Norddeutscher Regatta Verein´s heels from the beginning. Until the very end, they never managed to get ahead of the Hamburgers. For most of the three-day regatta, it seemed as if the German Champions from 2013 and 2014 could not be stopped. Tides turned in the penultimate race when Berlin took the lead and secured their victory.

“We would have never expected to win here. We went to St. Petersburg to qualify for Sardinia. And then we kick off a first place here. It´s unbelievable – we´re so incredibly happy,” said Max Nickel, who is part of the Berliner winning team together with Stefan Mölle, Valentin Gebhard, and Philipp Bruns.

Behind the two German DSBL teams (BYC and NRV), it was Societe Nautique de Geneve from Switzerland (Nicolas Anklin, Marc Stern, Nicolas Kauffmann, Mathieu Fischer) that sailed consistently well enough to secure the bronze medal on the podium.  Yet another Swiss club took 4th place, Regattaclub Bodensee (Julian Flessati, Massimo Soriano, Stephan Amman, Stefan Zurfluh) while the top Italian sailing club- YC Adriaco (Andrea Micalli, Furio Benussi, Matteo Stroppolo, Jacopo Ciampalini)- placed 5th overall.

The Boat- J/70 Sailing Champions League overview- by Joachim Hellmich- the Project Lead at the SCL explains the International J/70 class sailboat

SAILING Champions League YouTube videos-    Day 1 Highlights   Regatta summary
For more J/70 SAILING Champions League information

A Woman's Perspective Sailing World Championship

(Vancouver, BC, Canada)-  Isabella Bertold provided some wonderful perspective on her team's experience sailing J/70s at the recent Women’s World Championships at American YC in Rye, New York.  The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club Team finished 6th at the International Women’s Keelboat Championships!

“From August 15 to 19, I had the privilege of competing with three other British Columbia women at the International Women’s Keelboat Championships in Rye, New York. 

Along with myself, the team consisted of fellow Royal Vancouver Yacht Club member Maggie Drinkwater, Royal Victoria Yacht Club member Maura Dewey, and Vancouver sailor Elizabeth Dier.

Our team was unique in that both Maggie and Elizabeth had never raced outside of the Vancouver area, the team had never actually sailed together, and we were brand new to the J/70 sailboat. The other teams were made up of past Olympians, experienced international J/70 sailors, and former All-American college crews.  Even former America’s Cup champion, Dawn Riley, captained a team.   Needless to say, we went in with low expectations!

Our Canadian entry rounded out a truly international fleet including teams from Germany, New Zealand and 15 U.S teams.

American Yacht Club in Rye, NY hosted an incredible regatta, and wowed us with their hospitality. The regatta was raced following the league sailing format in J/70’s. J-boats provided a fleet of brand new J/70’s for us to race with, and even in strong breeze, the boats were not only manageable but also incredibly fun for the all female teams. It didn’t take long for us to understand why there have already been over 1100 J/70’s sold.

The championship was also unique for me in that it was my first time racing in a league sailing regatta, and it was my first time skippering a team.

The regatta was a 5-day event with up to 10 races each day.  The races lasted an average of ten minutes and consisted of a windward leeward twice around racecourse.   After five races, a crew would sit out one to three races before switching back into a new boat. The racing was intense, tiring, and I have never been involved in as many photo finishes as I was that week.

As the results show, we had a few races filled with learning moments, but otherwise we had consistent top 5 finishes, a couple of race wins, and finished 2nd overall in round two.

One of the more memorable moments happened on the final day of the regatta. Our team had come together seamlessly, and we were suddenly disappointed to finish races outside of the top three. We flew to New York ready for a learning experience, and with low expectations; we flew home to Vancouver satisfied with our 6th place finish at this prestigious championship, but hungry for more and with a clear goal of winning the 2017 championship to be held in Bermuda.”

Isabella Bertold is a member of the Canadian National Sailing Team in Laser Radials.  She has represented the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club on the international stage since joining the race team in 2001.

Viggo's J/125 World View!

(Long Beach, CA)- Viggo Torbensen has been the proud owner of the J/125 TIMESHAVER for a long time.  He recently sent us this note as he is getting prepared for Long Point Race Week and, soon, the Rolex Big Boat Series:

“Hi guys- just wanted to tell you that our J/125 is STILL the BEST boat EVER!  See you all soon flying down the Pacific Coast someplace!  And, for certain will see you at Rolex BBS on San Francisco Bay!”

Windy, Grey J/105 Swiftsure Cup

(San Francisco, CA)- The Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Cup took place this past weekend on San Francisco Bay, hosted by St Francis YC.  This memorial regatta has been a popular one in the Bay area for years and is always well-attended by the J/105 one-design class as well as PHRF and ORR offshore racers.

Winning the huge nineteen-boat J/105 class was Phil Laby’s GODOT with an amazingly consistent 4-1-2-3-1 record for 11 pts.  The Simmons Family, led by skipper Ryan, took their famous BLACKHAWK and guided it around the race track in good order to take the silver with yet another all top five record, posting 5-5-1-2-3 for 16 pts.  After these two boats, the scores were all over the map, inconsistency for some reason or another due to all manner of extenuating circumstances.  Third was Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault’s ARBITRAGE with a 3-3-5-1-10 for 22 pts, just squeaking out that scenario by one point over Adam Spiegel’s JAM SESSION with a 2-4-7-4-6 for 23 pts.  Fifth was Tom Kennelly’s WONDER with a 6-10-4-5-2 for 27 pts.

The PHRF “sportsboat” division saw Gorkem Ozcelebi’s J/111 DOUBLE IGIT sail fast to just miss taking the class win by two points. After five races, they were tied on points for first place overall, however, a 5th in the final race dropped them into the silver position.  Meanwhile, Dick Swanson’s J/111 BAD DOG didn’t make the first race (scoring a DNC), but won two races on their way to finishing 4th overall!   Sailing photo credits- Chris Ray   For more J/105 Swiftsure Cup sailing information