What's New? By Tim Finkle: We are into the back end of the local sailing season but some of the best nights of the year are ahead. I find that there can be a tendency for participation to drop off late in the year, but I beg you to keep going and finish out the series. Just remember those months of winter doldrums when you'd do anything to be out racing your boat on a Wednesday night. Don't take for granted the nice weather and good wind we have in September and October. Take advantage!
This week, I wrote another article about the J88 NAs from my team and also one from Kris Werner and what they did on their winning boat. It just so happens we have two J88's for sale and ready for 2019. We took a J/88 in trade and we have our demo for sale. There are very few used J/88s available, so if you were thinking of joining the fleet, jump on these opportunities.
J/24 Worlds Update: Rochester native Travis Odenbach is in Italy right now racing in the J/24 Worlds. 89 boats on one starting line! Lake Garda looks like an absolutely awesome place to sail. Can't wait to hear about it when he gets back. Travis is currently in 6th place with a lot of racing to go.
Results: http://www.j24worlds2018.it/results/
Video: https://youtu.be/L6ZKsrfBAwk
Update Article: https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/r2477-result-f5792.pdf
Tawas Bay of Pigs J22 Regatta: Another event our J22 sailors did on the path to the Worlds this September. Chris Doyle, Adam Burns and Will Harris won. Kevin Doyle, Vic Snyder and daughter Beth, came in fourth in the 20 boat fleet. Results here: https://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=4630
Rochester Yacht Club One Design Regatta: Photos
2019 LYRA hosted by Oakville!
Cleveland 216 Regatta: Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, Ohio will host the Cleveland 216 Regatta from October 5-7. Complete event details and registration are available at http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/16434. Open to J22, J70, J105, and Tartan 10's.
Any questions may be directed to Caroline Sundman at caroline.sundman@yahoo.com.
2018 J22 World Championship Annapolis Yacht Club, Annapolis, MD, September 9-14
https://www.annapolisyc.com/racing/2018j22worlds
The early entry deadline is June 15. Please register now to save some money at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=4540
Come to Annapolis early for the Labor Day Regatta. Find details at http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/16622
If you have not seen it yet, find the 2018 J22 Worlds Facebook page and follow it. There will be regular posts and fun tips about the event.
Any regatta questions may be directed to Allan Terhune, 2018 Worlds Regatta Chair, at allan.terhune@gmail.com
J/70 Winter Series 2018/19: Never too early to start the planning!
Winter Series Event 1
December 8-9, 2018
https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=5916
Winter Series Event 2
January 5-6, 2019
https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=5917
Winter Series Event 3
February 9-10, 2019
https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=5918
Stories and Articles:
J/88 North Americans Recap, by Tim Finkle: A week-long event and really months of preparation and thought put into this regatta makes it tough to summarize. It took me awhile to process the whole thing and now that I’ve been back, I can reflect a bit.
First and foremost, the J88 has been such a fun boat to sail. Coming from the smaller J70 in recent years, I’ve enjoyed driving a bigger boat with some more size and horsepower. The boat goes really well upwind and with a bigger jib, the groove is a bit more forgiving. The boat powers through waves and chop and man did we see a lot of chop in Chicago. It is not complicated to sail and it is always in control at all points of sail. We have 6 crew total but the workload is evenly spread out and the layout and sail plan makes it enjoyable to handle. It has been a great boat to race over the last few years and it has been a real perk of the job, to say the least.
Like most regattas, the prep work starts months in advance, and in this case not long after last years North Americans in Youngstown did I start the planning for this year. I had such a great time in 2017 with my crew and we had a great regatta finishing 2nd, so it made me hungry for another run at it. I reached out to my crew early on and begged them to get the time off with their work and families so that we could race in Chicago in August 2018. I had never raced in Chicago but knew that there was a strong J88 fleet there and I had even sold one recently to an owner at the Chicago Yacht Club. I wanted to support the class, like we did in Charleston months earlier. Registration was in early, a house was booked through Airbnb, and we had a trailer borrowed from YYC member and J88 owner Rick Lohr. We sold our sails in the spring to a new J88 owner in Toronto and ordered new sails through Kris Werner of Quantum Rochester. The boat has had a lot of work put into it in terms of racing upgrades and we felt that we had a good platform to do well.
Two weeks prior to the NA’s, we had a 3 day tune up regatta at the CanAm. My tactician Joey Mello came to town to sail but the rest of the crew was different than my NAs crew due to other boats that they sail locally or because they don’t live here. That’s OK, more tiller time for me and time to get on the same page with Joey. We got to tune up with two very well sailed boats in Hijinks and Deviation, both of which have been sailing and succeeding in the class since the beginning. We knew that if we sailed well with them, we would be in good shape. We had 11 races over 3 days and some very tight racing and lead changes over a range of conditions. We finished 2nd but thought our speed was pretty good but there was room to improve in several areas. A different crew would mean a different set of challenges, but we knew our sails and setup was where we wanted to be.
Part of this whole experience was that we had to tow the J88 to Chicago. There was some uncertainty because we were using my Dad’s F150 and we weren’t sure how it would do. Other than 9-10 miles per gallon of gas, it was totally fine. Driving through the streets of Chicago was interesting as we were warned of some low bridges and made sure to stick to our route. Joey and I traded off driving and it was nice to have a navigator. When we arrived to CYC Belmont late at night the gate was closed, so we had to drive through some trees around the gate and into the backside of the club. It was either that or leave it on the side of the highway!
We spent a full day of boat work on Tuesday in preparation for a practice day on Wednesday with the full team. For a bigger boat, it was not that hard to launch and rig. We used the clubs 5 ton jib crane hooked onto the keel straps and it was very balanced and went in nicely. We then motored over to the club barge where they had a mast crane, a bit archaic, but did the job. The best part of the entire regatta might have been our docking situation. Joey is friends with the CYC sailing director and he put us on the floating dock just off the club. We had nobody rafting off of us, water and power, and bathrooms close by. We had a quick shot out of the harbor each day and with our nice canvas dock box, we were able to keep all of our stuff right at the dock with minimal trips out to the truck each day. It was as good as it gets.
Racing was over four days but with a modest schedule of 3 races a day. It ended up being light air the entire event and we were not beat up at all. I would have loved some windy stuff but that just doesn’t happen much in August in Chicago, as we were warned about.
The old saying “you can’t win the regatta on the first day but you can lose it” certainly held true for us in this one. We had pretty good starts on day one but couldn’t convert and missed some shifts that were costly. The last race of the day was our best and we were 2nd behind Hijinks for most of the race until our soft shackle on our spin halyard popped and we lost our halyard. We quickly dropped our jib and used the jib halyard but lost 5 boats in the process, ouch! Good thing it was the last leg and last race of the day because we didn’t have a harness onboard. So we finished the day with a 7-8-8 which put us in 9th overall, not what we had in mind.
Day 2 was much better overall and the team worked very hard all day to give us good results of 5-6-3-3 for the day. We still didn’t have the speed as some of the top teams but we were hanging in there and moved up to 6th after seven races. We felt better about ourselves and finished the day very strong and heading in the right direction. We learned something about rig tune that day and overall for the weekend. Normally in the 6-10 range, we would be just below base on the rig tension, but with the lumpy seas and lulls out there, we spent the entire day at the loosest setting. We confirmed this with Hijinks who was in that setting for the entire regatta, even the first day when the wind was stronger. That was a bit of a surprise but it seemed to work.
Day 3 was looking bleak from the start with the forecast calling for nothing all day. We had an onshore postponement and there were signs that nothing would happen until later in the day when a sea breeze/thermal filled in. We eventually went out by 1pm and floated around for awhile. We got in one race in about 5 knots of breeze and it was rough. We had a horrendous start and battled our way back to 7th, not good. Race two of the day started and we rounded the top mark in 2nd or 3rdand the bottom gate in 1st or 2nd with Yonder when they called off the race shortly after. I was bummed because we needed a top finish to help us overcome the poor race prior. It was 430PM though and the RC wanted a good race since it was an NAs and I don’t blame them for calling it given the uncertainty of the next 2 legs. Oh well.
The last day was more of the same with light lumpy seas and maybe a max of 7 knots all day. We had two races with a 6 and a 2 to finish the event. We battled hard all regatta and it was just not our best, but that can also be attributed to the competition we faced. With sailors like Adam Burns, Kris Werner, Taylor Canfield, Allan Terhune, and others, there aren’t going to be easy races. We commented a few times that the fleet has upped their games and boats are sailing very even for the most part. Other than Hijinks, the rest of us had our ups and downs.
Overall, I came away from the event a bit disappointed in the result, but thrilled with my crew. We had a super fun team that worked very well together. The crew was Morgan Paxhia, Justin Hays, Mike Purinton and myself all from Youngstown YC and Joey Mello and Matt Wordell of Dartmouth MA. We are all in our 30’s (except Matt who is younger) and we had a lot in common. We sailed the boat well, usually going pretty fast and the boat handling and maneuvers were smooth. We had a lot of laughs and everyone was enjoying the sailing, no yelling and no visible frustration. We all did our jobs and complimented each other well, I’d go back to another regatta with them any day.
The J/88 has been a blast and we've had 4 demo boats since 2013. With each boat, we've learned a lot and improved each season. We now have hull #93 "Seaweed" for sale and if it sells we may get another one or try a different boat, perhaps the J/99. We aren't sure, but we are in the business of selling boats, so it is time to move on from this one. We will miss it, it has been a great boat.
PODIUM INSIGHTS: LIGHT AIR ANALYSIS OF HIJINKS' J/88 NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP WIN: Laura Weyler’s Hijinks took home the title at the 2018 J/88 North American Championship. The light air conditions in Chicago that weekend created a challenge for every team, including Weyler’s. Quantum’s Kris Werner explains how they did it and how to maximize light air conditions on any boat.
Laura Weyler’s Hijinks has made quite a name for itself over the past few years since hitting the J/88 one design scene. Winning the 2018 J/88 North American Championship is just another notch on its already impressive belt of wins. Quantum’s Kris Werner has been an integral part of the team and their success. After their recent win in Chicago, Kris gave us the rundown of how they did it. J/88 teams, pay attention, and everyone else listen up too: These light air sailing tips expand beyond this offshore class.
We sailed the boat, as most do, with six crew and no need for a weigh-in. Our combined weight was likely just about to the class max of 1081 pounds.
We sailed with a 2018 mainsail, 2017 J1 jib, and 2017 A2 class runner. The Quantum designs continue to prove to be the fastest sails across all ranges.
We had winds the first two days in Chicago in the 7-12 knot range, while the last two days were under 7 knots.
This is what we learned as we focused on trimming fast in light air:
With the ultra-hot weather we had in Chicago, staying hydrating and out of the sun as much as possible were key. On Saturday, we drifted around for quite a while in postponement in the blazing heat and sun. We had a nice lightweight sunshade on our boat to cover the cockpit and companionway. It’s made of spinnaker cloth, weighs almost nothing, and protects not only the crew from the sun but also the mainsail. Having the sunshade allowed us to motor around slowly to create some breeze, a much better option than being in a steaming hot cabin with no ventilation. Many other teams sat out in the sun and baked, and I truly believe the sunshade made a difference in the only race of the day. We stayed nice and cool and out of the sun, and when it finally came time to race midafternoon, we were sharp and ready to go, not sunbaked. We won the race. Contact your local loft today to get one of these secret weapons!
https://www.quantumsails.com/en/resources-and-expertise/articles/podium-insights-light-air-analysis-of-hijinks-j-88
RCR Staff - Give us a call!
Don Finkle | CEO | 716-695-4328 |
Bob Reese | President | 716-799-4299 |
Mary Egloff | CFO | 716-425-5534 |
Rick Lenard | Buffalo Sales | 716-472-4702 |
Corbo Corbishley | Rochester Sales | 585-752-2530 |
Tracy Buczak | Erie Sales | 716-680-4554 |
Gerry Palmer | Sodus Sales | 941-400-5241 |
Dave Regnet | Sandusky Sales | 419-202-0201 |
Mark Corson | Cleveland Sales | 713-907-4881 |
Darren Wright | Buffalo Service | 716-572-2312 |
Jim Egloff | Youngstown Service | 716-525-3228 |
Tim Finkle | Sales/Marketing | 860-917-5416 |
New Boat News:
The NEW J/99: J/Boats and J/Composites are pleased to announce the new J/99, a 9.9 meter (32.6’) crew-friendly, offshore-capable speedster currently in development at J/Composites in Les Sables d’Olonne, France. The J/99 is the newest addition to the J Sport range, combining headroom and comfortable interior accommodation with the tiller-driven responsiveness of a sport boat. The sail and deck plan are optimized for easy handling with fewer crew, and incorporate the latest developments from the award-winning J/121 and the new Offshore Sailing World champion J/112E.
Now more than ever, sailors are attracted to adventure-filled, signature events (Fastnet, Middle Sea, Chicago-Mac, etc.) where straight-line speed, sail handling, strategy and weather routing are all equally put to the test. The J/99 is designed to excel in these events (both fully crewed and short-handed) while delivering the exhilarating, family-friendly experience the J Sport range is known for.
“The J/99 opens up a wide range of sailing possibilities,” commented designer Alan Johnstone. “The versatile sail plan, balanced hull form and efficient cockpit will work as well for short-handed offshore sailing as for weekend sailing with friends. The J/99 packs a lot of performance and versatility into a manageable size and budget.”
Unlike most short-handed racers, the J/99 has a versatile cockpit for both day-cruising and day-racing that can accommodate as many as 6 comfortably. The deck plan reveals several J/121 inspired additions including the floating jib lead system, 8:1 inhauler system, cockpit-led controls (including outhaul, cunningham, and vang), an optional inner forestay provision, and an optional water ballast system. The standard backstay is a 48:1 double-ended, cascading system with an option for an integral hydraulic pump. The two self-tailing primary winches are located near the aft end of the coaming to allow easier trimming by the driver when in short-handed mode.
The J/99 is tiller steered with a choice of a single centerline, balanced rudder, or an optional twin rudder configuration (which is popular for offshore short-handed sailing when using auto-pilot). A wheel package is also available as an option.
The J/99 interior is roomy with clean lines and uncluttered spaces. The main cabin features two full length settee berths with optional flip-up pilot berths. The L-shaped galley has everything for the weekend cruise including a two burner stove, large ice-box and inboard sink with pressure water system. There’s a proper sit-down, forward-facing, navigation station to starboard. The drop-leaf main cabin table is a nice extra, usually seen only on cruising J’s. There are standard matching double cabins aft with privacy doors. This versatile accommodation plan sleeps 2-4 on the high side for good offshore weight distribution, and up to 8 for the occasional inshore regatta or weekend cruise. The forepeak is dedicated as a head and sail storage area, and otherwise kept as light as possible.
Other Highlighted J/99 Features:
-High Quality Composite Engineering & Construction: The J/99 exceeds ISO 12215 requirements for Category A offshore sailing. The hull and deck are built STRONG with the SCRIMP resin-infusion molding process – a molding process proven to yield higher strength laminates for long lasting integrity in an environmentally friendly manner.
-Volvo D1-20 engine: The J/99 is equipped with the fuel efficient Volvo D1-20 auxiliary engine with sail drive, two blade bronze prop and keyless engine panel. The two-bank 12V battery system includes a dedicated engine start battery (70amp AGM) and a 100amp AGM house battery. A DC Distribution panel is mounted outboard in the navigation station.
-AG+ Custom Mast Section: The J/99 mast is an all-new, custom engineered alloy section (anodized black) developed specifically for the J/99 by AG+ Spars of France. The unique integral mainsail track of this mast accommodates either luff cars or bolt rope. This innovation, first developed for the J/112E, eliminates over 12 meters (40’) of fasteners and glue and allows engineers to take advantage of the increased stiffness that the integral track geometry provides for final the spar section calculations. A tapered top section and quality hardware result in a rig that delivers the best performance & value. The mast is keel stepped with an adjustable base and includes a pre-formed mast wedge as well as a watertight internal dam including drain above deck.
-Carbon Fiber Fixed & Watertight Bow Sprit: The J/99 is the first J with a fixed carbon bowsprit. The sprit is easily removed by way of two bolts just aft of the stem, and is supported by a Dyneema bobstay to the bow. The primary benefits of a fixed bowsprit for offshore sailing are reduced weight in the bow and better protection against water intrusion.
-Engineered Low VCG Keel: The low VCG keel of the J/99 is a high-tech two-metal keel (draft of 1.9m/ 6.5’) comprised of an encapsulated cast iron fin with integral lead wedge bulb - a similar construction method as the J/112E and J/121. This keel provides the J/99 with exceptional stability.
Featured Performance Used Boats:
Let RCR Find Your Next Boat, or Sell Your Existing One!
Selected listings only, see http://www.rcryachts.com/used for full list:
The Shelves are being Restocked: You will note the sizable number of used boats that have been listed with us over recent weeks. This is actually an unusual time for the year for thsi to be happening, normally listings come in mostly in spring and fall, the shoulder seasons when people often make decisions to sell. The benefit of the current situation is finding the right boat at a time when you can actually enjoy it in the near term.
Check out the Reduced Prices: Sometimes the owner of a perfectly good boat has reason to drop the price to the point where it becomes really attractive relative to the market. If the shoe fits you in terms of size, type and budget now is your chance. Check out the boats marked as such in this issue because these are the ones that will likely go next.
40’ Beneteau First 40.7 1999 “Silver Bullet” Beautiful Silver Awlgripped hull with many racing upgrades, custom cradle and full winter cover included, Rochester, REDUCED $94,900
Beneteau First 40.7 1999
40' Schock 40 2001 "Paradigm" Canting Keel, Can set up as masthead or fractional rig, Rudder & forward canard, Rochester, $77,900
Schock 40 2001, Rochester, NY
40' R Class 40 1927 Many Upgrades, Electric Motor, New Non-Skid & Painted Topsides, Toronto $34,900
37' Tripp 37 1987 "Kamikaze" Many Quantum Sails, Ockam Electronics, Yanmar Diesel, REDUCED $29,900
36' Beneteau 36.7 2003 "R2" NEW LISTING Full race sail inventory and upgraded running rigging. Included are Autopilot, newer GPS, Carbofoil, as well as a roller furler. Full winter cover and steel cradle are also included. Excellent price for this popular racer/cruiser model that has only seen fresh Great Lakes waters. Also included is a Carbon Spinnaker Pole, Synthetic Backstay, 110V Shore Power, H/C Pressure Water, Refrigerator, Stereo, Propane Oven, Adjustable Genoa Cars, and more! In Youngstown, $77,000
36' Beneteau First 36.7 2006 SOLD
36' Beneteau First 36.7 2003 SOLD
35’ Schock 35 1991 “Glory” SOLD
35' Beneteau First 35 2011, NEW LISTING, RCR TRADE Performance Pack, Electronics, Race Sails, Fine Racer-Cruiser, Buffalo, NY, $129,900
35' Beneteau First 35 2011 "Double Black" Saildrive, Full Ullman Sail Inventory, Spinnaker Gear, Full Race Package, Nicely Finished Interior, Electronics, Lots of goodies in a beautiful fast modern Farr design. Erie REDUCED $139,900
35’ Beneteau First 35 Carbon Edition 2016 “Real Time” NEW LISTING Carbon Mast, Carbon Retractable Sprit, North Sails Hardly Used, Loaded, Rochester, NY, $199,000 http://www.rcryachts.com/used/beneteau-first-35-carbon-edition
1984 C&C 33-2 "Tigger" is a very unique and functional racing layout. "Tigger" has been a consistent winner on Lake Ontario for over three decades. Tiller, 3-speed primaries aft of helmsman, 3 halyard system forward with winches at base of mast keeping hoists and sail changes out of the cockpit. Fully equipped with electronics, extensive sail inventory and reasonable cruising accommodations for 6. There isn't a better Racer/Cruiser anywhere at this price! NEW LISTING Chaumont, NY $34,900.
1985 C&C 33-2 "Celtic Storm" SOLD
32’ Beneteau First 32 1984 “Summer Love” Fresh Water Only, Yanmar Diesel, 7 Sails, Wheel, Roller Furling, Shore Power, Buffalo, NY, REDUCED to $13,900 http://www.rcryachts.com/used/beneteau-first-32
30’ Etchells #1220 New Spin pole in 2013, and new boom in 2008. Has been competitive in 2008 and 2012 worlds, Jaguar, and fleet 11 championships. Double-Axle trailer is extremely road-worthy. Tack-tick compass, Mast-up cover, trailering top-cover and mast cover, many sails (North and Doyle), plus spares of just about everything from tillers to shrouds, to sheets. Chicago, $25,000, looking for offers!
29' J/88 #2 2014 "Easy Eights" NEW LISTING Fully race ready for the one design circuit. Brand new Quantum jib to go with full suit of Quantum and North inventories. 2015 Triad Trailer with drop keel. Performance race bottom, VC offshore baltoplate. Youngstown, $127,500
29' J/88 2017 #93 "Seaweed" NEW LISTING Our demo is available for sale within our Jboat territory. Comes with five 2018 Quantum race sails and tricked out with upgraded rigging. Proven fast in big regattas, Youngstown, price TBD.
29' C&C 29 MK-2 1984 "Perbacco!!" SOLD
29' C&C 29 MK II 1984 Beautiful Red Painted Hull, Diesel, Wheel, Nice Clean Interior, Good Sails & Gear, Rochester $21,900
28' S2 8.6 1985 "Ghost" NEW LISTING, Buffalo, NY, $16,900 http://www.rcryachts.com/used/s2-86
26' J/80 1996 SOLD
23' J/70 2017 #1145 NEW LISTING Looks brand new still! Sailed less than 10 times last summer and was on a powered lift at the owner’s dock. Stored over the winter inside a heated building. Comes with Torqeedo motor, 2 sets of sails including a fresh 3 regatta used set of Quantums, Triad Trailer, Velocitek Speedpuck, padded bags, anchor, docking, safety, etc. Currently inside our showroom in Youngstown, asking $44,900.
Let RCR Find Your Next Boat, or Sell Your Existing One: Once in a while we need to remind our readers that we are actually in business. It is nice to provide a service to the sailing community and hopefully our readers will remember us when it comes time to buy or sell a boat. We do know what we are talking about!
Tags: Racer's News