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Horsfield Ahead Approaching Lorient

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world , 0 Comment
Horsfield Ahead Approaching Lorient

The final leg of the Globe 40 race is coming to a conclusion, and the PNW’s own Craig Horsfield is holding on to the lead with 450 miles to go.

Craig Horsfield

This leg has had very challenging conditions from the start. It is ending as it started, with a match race between the two Globe 40 overall leaders, Horsfield’s Amhas and the Dutch team aboard Sec Hayai. To win the round the world race overall, Amhas would have to put a boat between them and the Dutch. That seems highly unlikely, since the third place boat is 300+ miles behind.

Here’s the most recent press release:


After suffering in recent days in the Azores the passage of a front generating winds up to 60 knots, the competitors of the GLOBE40 will have to face today and Monday a new depression on arrival in the Bay of Biscay with winds up to 50 knots and seas up to 10 m deep in the northern part of the Gulf. Faced with this situation, the leader of the AMHAS stage yesterday decided to slow down voluntarily to get behind the hardest part of the phenomenon.

Amhas is pink, Sec Hayai is orange.

A difficult choice, as Craig Horsfield explained to us “We’re going to try to slow down, we’re going to look east by slowing down. We only have one mainsail and 3 reefs. Above all we are disgusted after all these days of racing and hard work to get a lead that we have effectively stopped for now. It is hard to do and to accept”.

GRYPHON SOLO 2, which passed through the Azores yesterday, expresses the extreme harshness of these moments: Joe Harris “Last night was the most difficult night of our entire trip around the world. The wind and sea state continued to build until we were in 9m seas and winds gusting to 60 knots. We had prepared with 3 reefs in the mainsail and the staysail, which worked well up to 50 knots of wind. But the gusts overhead rocked the boat hard and made Roger and I, huddled in the cabin, wonder if we were going to get knocked down and rolled over. It was scary. We were both thinking of life rafts, EPIRBs and rescues. But eventually the 60 knot gusts died down and we were able to continue…. It makes you think.

SEC HAYAI in second position maintains a significant lead over GRYPHON SOLO 2 (284 miles this morning)..

The first arrivals in Lorient are scheduled for Wednesday 15. (photo Roger Junet)

Horsfield Wins Globe 40 Leg

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world , 0 Comment

Seattle sailor (and mate!) Craig Horsfield along with James Oxenham just won the Globe 40 Race leg from Ushuaia, Argentina to Recife, Brazil in the Class 40 boat Amhas. The win was sealed when their offshore course paid big dividends and they negotiated the tough conditions along the east coast of South America. The leg took 20+ days and covered 3803 miles. While leading the race, the Japanese entry Milai hit an unidentified floating object. They were forced to retire with serious damage.

Craig seems more happy than tired.

The leg victory puts Amhas in contention for an overall race victory. We’ll be following the last two legs with great interest!

To replay the race, check out the tracker here.

Press release.

Horsfield First into Mauritius, Wins Globe40 Leg

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world , 0 Comment
Horsfield First into Mauritius, Wins Globe40 Leg

Local Seattle sailor Craig Horsfield has added another feather to his singlehanded racing cap, and this is a big one a victory with Oliver Bond in the longest leg of the initial Globe40 race. We’ll hear more from him soon, “Craig is very chatty so I’ll have him call you as soon as he’s slept and the time difference works,” according to his wife Carolyn who took these photos. In the meantime, here’s the press release.

Craig Horsfield

After 35 days 10 hours 42 minutes and 42 seconds of navigation, Craig Horsfield and Oliver Bond reach Mauritius as the winner on this second and longest leg of the GLOBE40. By crossing the finish line this Monday morning at 2 hours 42 minutes and 42 seconds (UTC), the American crew treated themselves to a finish under the magnificent colors of the Mauritian sunrise. From Cape Verde in the North Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, passing through the Doldrums, the Equator, the Saint Helena High and the Cape of Good Hope at 38° South, the sailors of the GLOBE40 experienced a veritable epic of 7,667 nautical miles (14,200 km) worthy of the greatest tales of sailing around the world.   

“It’s been a long trip so far, longer than we had planned before departure. We managed this big step by cutting it into 4 pieces. The stage seemed so huge to us before the start that it was necessary to manage the events one after the other. The first piece was a quick little regatta through the Cape Verde archipelago that lasted 2 days. Excellent moments of gliding, only happiness. On the second part, the South Atlantic and the Saint Helena high, it was necessary to show good strategic analysis to cross this level crossing. The third part, with the circumvention of southern Africa and the passage of the Cape of Good Hope, was physically tough because we encountered difficult sea conditions and sometimes very cold temperatures. The last piece in the Indian Ocean was very difficult. In fact we thought it was going to be the easiest part of the stage, but it was the hardest. »say the two sailors after touching down.

A victory acquired in a very good way by the American skippers. In the right tempo from the first miles, they have rarely accumulated more than thirty miles behind the rival and Japanese leader Milai throughout the descent of the South Atlantic. They didn’t give up, despite the hardness of the stage on a physical and mental level due to its long distance, the harsh sea and weather conditions encountered and the technical problems faced. In this mano a mano on a planetary scale, the American-British duo benefited from the South African pit-stop operated by Masa Suzuki and Andrea Fantini to take the leadership of the fleet as they passed the Cape of Good Hope, without stopping never give it up to the turquoise Mauritian waters. This victory on this major stage with a coefficient of 3.

“Our strategy was to stay in contact with the front of the race. When we were off Brazil, turning to Cape Town, we wanted to be among the best. The next strategy was to pass the South without incident and then finish at full speed in the Indian Ocean. In practice, we had to adapt. We accelerated a little more than expected during the crossing of the South by being in contact with Milai. Then, when we took the lead, we managed the sequence of events more. We changed our plans to preserve the boat, while the others tried to catch up with us. Our roadmap evolved according to the race situation. Twice we changed options to join another competitor’s route. We lost half a day to find ourselves in a position that prevented them from overtaking us. It would have been faster to go east but if there had been a problem, we offered them the opportunity to win so we decided to come closer to take that option away from them. This is how we managed the finish. Even if it forced us to navigate more slowly at times. »analyze Craig and Oliver on the spot before continuing by emphasizing the excellent spirit present between the competitors. “One of our best memories is the communication between the boats. Especially with Masa (Milai) and Mélodie (Whiskey Jack) trying to solve their technical problems. Despite the fierce competition, even if we like confrontation, it’s nice to share. We appreciate helping each other. If a problem arises, if someone breaks something, we are sorry for him. »

After another very fine sail, the Dutch duo aboard Sec Hayai are on a favorable run-off to clinch second place on Tuesday 23rd August.

Craig’s Epic Adventure: Leg 2 Mindelo Cape Verde to Mauritius

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world 0 Comment
Craig’s Epic Adventure: Leg 2 Mindelo Cape Verde to Mauritius

Craig Horsfield is racing a Class 40 boat around the world in the Globe 40. Here’s his report from partway through Leg 2. Following is a more recent update – they’re leading!

Amhas


“Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast”

We are 8 days and 1500 NM in with no breakage or damage.

July 17 was the start of the longest ever class forty race leg, covering over 700 miles with 3 oceans and one cape.


With limited experience, we elected to start conservatively down at the pin end where there was no traffic and the risk of been rolled was low.  The mark was a reach, then you can go inside the mark and south past Sao Vincent to Port or Round the mark and go North around Sao Vincent a longer route. Why would anyone do that? We all took the latter as the wind shadow on the south option was an issue and we could use the acceleration on the east side of the island. We started with 1 reef and a J2 up. Most other boats were J1 and Code 0 quickly coming out. Our simple start took us to the mark and in 3rd place before rounding and going upwind. However, we needed more sail and had to change from J2 to J1, dropping back on the few  mile beat around the north side. Our goal for Day 1 was to sustain no damage and just to stay close to the fleet.


With more than 20 Knts in the acceleration zone we set up for a very slow and safe first hoist of a spinnaker. We set an A7 –  a new fractional all-purpose spi. Other boats went for full size masthead A2 spi. We thought we would be left behind but found ourselves safe on auto pilot, doing about 15k nts downwind while other boats around us rounded up and had issues. As night fell we were surprised to be right with most the fleet despite our simple start, which built our confidence into the night. Late into the night, we started to feel the impact of the wind shadow to our port and we could see on AIS that the 3 other boats to our port had started to slow. We gybed west to stay in the wind corridor, making a gain that would later put us in the lead.  The next decision was whether to go inside or outside the island of Pogo, a large southern Cape Verde island. We decided to stay inside, on the east side, again looking for acceleration as we had still been using the smaller A7 and needed pressure. Mostly the east/ west split on Pogo was a wash in the fleet and we later crossed gybes with the Dutch who went the other way. Then it was a long haul to the SE on starboard, waiting for a SE wind shift we could tack on and get south. The shift came in and we went for it 3 hours after the shift and were again the first boat to change course. This turned out to be bitter sweet, as we drag raced south and won the race to the equator but we are more west and have west current set. This with the wind not lifting enough we are sailing close haul almost currently on the 1800-mile port tack to the South Atlantic High and the Southern Ocean. Overall we are going to have to pay a 12 – 18-hour penalty for this westing for sure.

Long hot days in the sun, currently passing 4 deg S.  All is well onboard.  The teams have all been very collaborative and supporting;  it is good to know that they are nearby, both pushing us and supporting us.

Following are late-breaking updates from Globe 40 headquarters:

GLOBE40 IN THE INDIAN OCEAN

Amhas (purple) leading around Africa

🇫🇷 This day at 12H44’23” UTC AMHAS skipped by Craig Horsfield (USA) and Oliver Bond (UK) was the first GLOBE40 competitor to reach the length of Cap des Aiguilles and therefore to return to the Indian Ocean. A strong moment for racing as it certainly was for the skippers and especially South African-born Craig Horsfield.

AMHAS had also taken the lead of the race this morning, a constant presence in the forefront since the departure from Cape Verde, away from the Japanese competitor MILAI Around The World having rarely exceeded 20 miles for the last 3 weeks ines. 5,000 miles have been covered since departure from Mindelo at an average of 9.3 knots and about 2,250 to go before we see the silhouette of Morne Brabant in Mauritius, superb promontory to the south of the island.

A course that will not be risk-free over the next few days with a weather situation set to deteriorate. MILAI following unidentified noises at the level of its bowling, although not directly struggling at the moment, has made the prudent choice of a technical stopover for control in Cape Town or it should arrive in the night. SEC HAYAI, WHISKEY JACK and GRYPHON SOLO 2 will also have to negotiate this hectic passage over the next few days to the dreaded Indian Ocean.

🇬🇧 THE GLOBE40 IN INDIAN OCEAN

This day at 12:44’23”UTC AMHAS skippered by Craig Horsfield (USA) and Oliver Bond (UK) was the first competitor in the GLOBE40 to reach the longitude of Cape Agulhas and therefore to return to the Indian Ocean. A huge step for the race as it has certainly been for the skippers and in particular for Craig Horsfield of South African origin.

AMHAS had also taken the lead in the race this morning, a constant presence in the foreground since the start from Cape Verde, the gap with the Japanese competitor MILAI Around The World having rarely exceeded twenty miles for 3 weeks. 5000 miles have been covered since the start in Mindelo at an average of 9.3 knots and there are still around 2250 before touching to see the silhouette of Morne Brabant in Mauritius, a superb promontory in the south of the island. .

A course that will not be without risk in the coming days with a situation expected to deteriorate in a few days. MILAI following unidentified noises at the level of her keel, although clearly not directly in difficulty at the moment, made the prudent choice of a technical stopover for checkpoint in Cape Town where she should arrive in the night. SEC HAYAI, WHISKEY JACK and GRYPHON SOLO 2 will also have to negotiate this turbulent passage towards the formidable Indian Ocean in the coming months.  · 

STAPYs (Sailish.com Totally Arbitrary Performance of the Year Awards)

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world, STAPYs 0 Comment

Bruce promised some Boat of the Year awards, so here we go with the 2022 Sailish Totally Arbitrary Performance of the Year awards. The STAPYs if you will.

Pacific Northwest sailing and sailors are so spread out and diverse, we’ve chosen to pick and choose some arbitrary awards. Here’s the kicker, since our beloved pastime is so diverse, we want YOU to send in your choices. One rule, you can’t choose yourself. And here’s the kicker, it can be for just about anything sailing related. Racing, cruising, organizing, teaching, designing, building new boats, resurrecting old boats, good crew work, writing, rescues, selling and so forth. There’s a lot going on and plenty of people deserve kudos. Email me your nominations.

Kurt’s Nominations

Dalton on the Tasar

Dalton Bergan We know Dalton’s been winning races ever since laying hands on a tiller. But this year was truly exceptional. He won both the RS Aero 7 Worlds on the Columbia River Gorge and the Tasar Worlds with wife Lindsey on Puget Sound.

Andrew Nelson

Andrew Nelson Andrew has been the junior sailing director at The Sailing Foundation for 8 years. During that time youth sailing has exploded in participation, largely due to his energy and skills. He is moving on from that position now and leaving some big booties to fill.

Craig Horsfield

Craig Horsfield My old skipper has truly outdone himself this time. First he took on the Mini Transat with two successful races. He is currently in the throes the first-ever Globe 40 doublehanded round the world race aboard Amhas. Teaming up with two other sailors, and splitting the legs between them. He’s sailed legs 2 (4th) and 4 (1st) and plans on racing three more legs.

Jonathan McKee

Jonathan McKee His lifelong sailing resume is legendary. Dinghies, keelboats, inshore, offshore, Olympics, pro sailing, you name it. This year he received the recognition he deserves, entry into the Hall of Fame. Just remember, when you race against Jonathan, you’re racing against royalty.

Kirk at the helm of Teaser

Kirk Utter  Well-known on the Seattle racing scene, he’d been threatening to sail off cruising into the sunset for many years. Well, he did it! Those of us wanting to do the same have to admire him for “just doing it.” He’s very active on Facebook if you’re interested in his adventures.

All those rescuers of Andy Schwenk   While delivering his Express 37 Spindrift V back from Hawaii after winning his class in the Pacific Cup, expat Northwesterner Andy suffered a severe injury and resulting sepsis. Without the help and coordination of fellow sailors, a commercial ship, the Navy and many others, he might well have died. It’s a good sign that the first law of the sea (help other mariners in need) is alive and well.

Class 40

Kurt Hoehne Adventure Sailing, PNW sailors around the world , 0 Comment

My old skipper and 2-time Mini Transat finisher Craig Horsfield is at it again, this time in next year’s Class 40 The Race Around. Yes, a doublehanded around the world race. He’s teaming with other experienced sailors to make this happen as a Corinthian effort. There are lots more photos on Craig’s Facebook site. We’ll be following this closely and posting here.

Horsfield has shared this video. Check the shape of his new ride!

Fast 40

Why Don’t They Make Boats Like These?

Kurt Hoehne Cruising, PNW sailors around the world 2 Comments
Why Don’t They Make Boats Like These?

Craig Horsfield has a whole lot of miles under his various keels, and in various places around the world. Locally to the Salish Sea, he had a successful Olson 30 program with Wild Turkey for several years. He’s done the Cape to Rio Race. Most significantly, he’s completed two Mini Transat races in the Open 650 class. One thing he hadn’t done was cruise with his wife Carolyn and (6 year old) daughter Anna. 

That changed this summer when he chartered a Pogo 30 from Fast Downwind Charters. This company specializes in chartering Pogo boats on the Baltic. Having owned a Pogo II Mini, Horsfield was eager to see what they could do with a 30-foot fast cruiser. Joined by Carolyn’s sister Jen and her husband Mark, the crew of five braved the Baltic, cruised some really interesting waters most of us will never see, and got to experience a truly modern fast cruiser. First up, Carolyn on the cruise. Then Craig drools a bit over the Pogo.

The Cruise (Carolyn Hutcheon)

We flew in and out of Hamburg, Germany, which is a 2-hour train ride from Rostock, where the boat was based. Andreas of Fast Downwind Charters picked us up at the train station and we spent the next day going over the boat with him and stocking up on supplies. The dock was was close to a grocery store and restaurants, bars and even a discotheque. But it’s a 1-1.5 hour motor down a dredged channel from the Baltic Sea. At the mouth of the channel is the town of Wärnemunde, where we went for dinner on our first night. With its white sand beaches and old architecture, it was a favorite Communist-era resort town and is still alive with restaurants and shops, cruise ships and summer festivals.

There are many options when sailing out of Rostock and the secret is go where the wind takes you. July and August are the best times to go because the days are long and the winter storms have passed. Unluckily, we arrived right before an unseasonable storm was coming. 

If the wind is southwest or easterly then head to the islands south of Fyn, with a stop over in Heiligenhafen. Here are islands to hop and 1000-year old Danish villages to visit, as well as the stunning Alsen-Sund which is well protected in case of rough weather. With a northwest situation, sail up to Copenhagen with a stop over in Klintholm and spend a few days visiting the city. You can then sail around the big Danish islands with their quaint fishing villages, leaving Sweden to your right. This is a longer trip, and requires wind and longer sailing days to cover the distance. It wasn’t in the cards for us this time.

With a storm coming in, we had only 12 hours to sail out and get to safe harbor where we would wait the storm out for the next two days. We decided to sail on the westerly to the island of Hiddensee and the protected waters of the West Rügen Bodden (lagoon) in North Eastern Germany.

The Pogo 30 is fast downwind. It is easily sailed single-handedly, which was good when there is one experienced sailor and 3 (and a half) inexperienced ones.

Everything on the island of Hiddensee is close and accessible by bike or on foot. From Kloster, we spent a morning walking to the neighboring town of Vitte. With the only motorized vehicles on the island being one ambulance and some farm equipment, there was no need to watch for traffic and we could admire the wildflowers and pastures, wetlands, and dunes from along the roadway instead. Visitors can also rent bikes to take them from Kloster to Vitte to Neuendorf.

From the marina in Kloster, it was a 2 km walk to the Dornbusch Lighthouse and the highest point on the island. Along the wooded trail were open areas with wooden sculptures – a bed, a window frame, a giant caterpillar – that put the views across the Vitter Bodden to the Island of Rügen and across the Baltic Sea to Denmark into perspective.

The West Rügen Bodden or lagoons are shallow and ports are accessed through a network of dredged channels that are at least 3.7 m deep. The Pogo 30 has a lifting keel, but even with the keel up it draws 1.05 m. We were hesitant to sail through the shallow waters, and not terribly excited about motoring, so chose instead to take one of the many ferries to the nearby island of Rügen, where we spent a day exploring the village of Schaprode. A longer ferry ride would have taken us to the town of Stralsund, with its eclectic maritime museum and old town UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientic Cultural Organization) heritage site.

With calmer seas, we crossed the Baltic to the village of Klintholm, on the island of Møn in Denmark. As we approached the harbor entrance, we joined what seemed like a caravan of cruising boats. We docked, and watched as the cruising boats kept coming. Klintholm is a popular and convenient stop for Baltic cruisers. Our dock neighbors were a German couple who were heading towards Sweden and were planning to “keep sailing north until they stopped.”   There are several restaurants, but we nevertheless took the opportunity to stock up on groceries and herbs from the marina’s free herb garden and had a least one dinner on the marina picnic bench in the long mid-summer twilight.

Klintholm Havn (Harbor) is about 5 km away from the chalk cliffs of Møn, the highest point in Denmark. We rented bicycles at the village grocery store and cycled out to see the cliffs. There is geological museum that we didn’t go into – it was crowded, as were the walkways to and from the beach. More secluded was the walk down to the beach at the base of the cliffs from the Møn lighthouse. Here the cliffs aren’t as tall, but there is room to breathe and to explore.

The days passed too quickly and we were due back in Rostock, so we once more crossed the Baltic Sea to Germany. We sailed back in a light east to south easterly breeze of less than 10 knots. With the code 5 spinnaker and full mainsail, we maintained decent speed.

Compared with other 30 foot cruising boats that I have seen, the Pogo 30 is surprisingly spacious. The boat is wide, with little rocker, which means not only more room below decks, but also no need to add a floor, which adds a few inches of headroom. There are an aft and forward cabins, which provide more than enough room for 4 people. Our 6-year old daughter slept comfortably on a settee in the main cabin; however I don’t know how a grownup would fare. On deck, all of the control lines and halyards are led into the cockpit which makes it easy to change sail configurations, especially with inexperienced crew. An aft cockpit locker provides for easy access to dock lines and fenders.

I was worried that the long mid-summer days would make it difficult for us to sleep, but I shouldn’t have worried. The boat gently rocked me to some of the best sleep that I have had in a long time and no 4 am dawn was going to wake me – or, happily our daughter – up.

 

 

The Boat

I had a nice chat with my old skipper Craig about the Pogo 30. Craig’s experience on the European Mini circuit has certainly opened his eyes to boats seldom seen in the Northwest. Knowing Craig, it’s a rare cruising boat that can get his blood pumping, but the Pogo is clearly one. 

“Why don’t they make boats like these in the U.S.?” Horsfield wondered. “It feels like it has the same amount of space as a J/109.” So, the wide angle lenses used in the promotional interior apparently don’t lie, and certainly the cockpit is huge.

“I was surprised at how comfortable it was,” Horsfield added. He and Carolyn took the forward berth, leaving Jen and Mark to take the more comfortable aft cabin. Curtains, not doors, are used to separate the cabins, but that was enough for this hardy bunch. Anna slept on the settee, “but kept falling off.” Happens to the best of us.

While the Baltic is not the warmest place to sail, the dodger and what I’d call “coaming cloths” keep things warm enough for the crew. Craig explained the designers kept the winches on the cabin top, and in fact just about everything can be done from the forward end of the cockpit. And looking at that cockpit, there’s room for everyone, and their friends. The open transom makes getting in and out easy when tied stern-to.

The Fast Downwind Pogo is equipped with the NKE autopilot system, with which Horsfield was familiar from the Minis. These systems are outstanding. It enabled Craig to do everything on the boat, which was necessary as he was the only experienced sailor.

This Pogo had the lifting keel, which meant draft was either 8.2 or 3.4 feet. The keel pivots but remains external to the boat. A hydraulic ram (“the size of my two arms together”) does the heavy lifting with the engine on. There’s a manual backup as well, but that would be a very slow alternative. The boat can motor with the keel in the up position, but obviously stability and efficiency take a hard hit. (NOTE: An earlier version mistakenly said one can sail with the keep in the up position. The manufacturer made it clear this is not the case and could be dangerous.) The double rudders give the boat excellent control, and are really necessary with that much beam at the transom.

Craig fought the temptation to “send it” with the Pogo. With it’s powerful shape, squaretop main and asymmetrical chute, the Pogo can, without a doubt, lay down some impressive miles when reaching. However, Craig reports a top speed of 15 knts running at 150 true in 25-28 knots with a reef in the main and a jib. He also reports she reached comfortably at 10 knots in 25 knots of breeze. “In light air we had fun with the kite moving well in winds above 6- 7 knts,” he reported. 

 

Whittemore Wins Intense J/24 Nationals in Seattle

Kurt Hoehne Racing 0 Comment
Whittemore Wins Intense J/24 Nationals in Seattle

As the fleet piled up at the favored pin end for the start of the first race of the J/24 Nationals, it seemed clear that Keith Whittemore was destined for another trophy on his mantel. After the fleet’s usual bumping and yelling, Whittemore was the first to emerge from the melee on port tack, with speed mind you. He went on to lead wire to wire in the race and eventually won the regatta with a race to spare. While his scoreline may have made it look like a cakewalk, winning five of nine races, the competition was tight the entire series. Tied in second was North American champ Will Welles and the Japanese team led by Nobuyuki Imai. Welles won the tiebreaker.

For the other 29 competitors this past weekend, a big part of the story was the epic weather. The forecasters were predicting some rather dubious conditions for Friday and Saturday, but both days came in strong, if a little late. In fact, there were shore delays both days. Bruce Hedrick got Sunday right, as it came in and gave racers four final races in the mid-teens for wind. Win or lose on the race course, we all won three great days of sailing.

These photos by Sean Trew. Find him on Facebook to see the rest. They’re great.

The racing was all done on northerlies, with the courses set north of Meadow Point. Going right on the beats worked well, except occasionally when left paid big. There was never enough wind, even on Sunday, to generate edge-of-your seat conditions but Sunday there was the occasional wave worth a sheet pump. All in all, the conditions were a good medium air test for the fleet. While this wasn’t the 80-boat J/24 fleets at some events in the world, there was still plenty of traffic at starts and marks. I can attest that port tack approaches to the weather mark weren’t successful unless you were looking for practice jibing back around multiple times to get in the starboard layline parade.

The biggest bang of the weekend was when Jailbreak and Seepaert, chartered by Matt Pistay, found each other at a weather mark rounding. Lydia Volberding was winding her way on port tack through boats to get Jailbreak to the starboard layline. “That’s when we did that dance (with Seepaert) that you do in the supermarket aisle, one person goes one way and the other goes the same way,” Volberding explained. It was her first collision in about 15 years in the J fleet, but it was a big one with enough damage to Seepaert that it couldn’t sail the final day. 

As one might expect, the usual Seattle fleet suspects rose to the top. Michael Johnson in Pearl sailed an extraordinarily consistent regatta, ending up in fourth, only a point out of third.  The “well-oiled machine” (according to my skipper) of Scott Milne’s Tremendous Slouch team finished fifth followed by Baba Louie, Spark, Self Abuse, Atom Ant and Hair of the Dog rounding out the top 10. Kudos to Steve Travis for taking the time from his TP52 Smoke to mix it up with the J/24 fleet. The Newport, RI fleet’s Bob Kinsman drove Atom Ant and shared a lot of knowledge that will surely trickle down through the Seattle fleet.

These photos courtesy of Jan Anderson. More here.

 

Our Wild Ride

On my ride,  ….and your little, dog too, there was never a dull moment. Owner Hans Spiller couldn’t make the regatta and allowed two of his regulars, Derek DeCouteau and Craig Horsfield, to have a go at it. I was lucky enough to get a call. Our series was one of great races followed by poor ones, finding the farthest corner of wrong side followed by a flyer that worked like a gem. A DSQ of a 7th place on the second day was a crushing blow to the mood on the boat, but with the pressure off we had a satisfying final day. But there were lessons re-learned. Even in a fleet where collisions are relatively common, boats regularly sail within a foot of each other, and there is no contact, you can be tossed out of a race. And another relearned lesson, make sure you’re at max weight. One hundred fifty more pounds on the rail would have made that last day even more satisfying. I enjoyed connecting with many J/24 friends I seldom see these days and very much being regaled with international Star Boat series stories from Derek and Craig’s believe-it-or not Mini Transat stories. By the way, happy birthday Bev Multerer.

Long Live the J/24

The Seattle J/24 fleet is strong because its members are committed to keeping it that way. Fleet functions always go beyond the race course to parties and dinners and it seems from the outside that a lot of people chip in on fleet duties. Bringing Nationals to Seattle is certainly a major achievement, and with the weather gods cooperating the way they did it will be long remembered. The international camaraderie is clear as well. When the Japanese team came by to say hi to Whittemore at the beginning of the event, the warmth between the two teams was clearly apparent.

And the J/24 itself? Sure, it’s slow by today’s standards, but the fleet stays tightly packed and every inch counts. Pity the A-sail generation sailors that don’t face the challenge of pole-back tactics and entering a leeward gate going dead downwind. But the J/24 rewards all the important stuff; perfect crew work, starts and tactics, weight placement, and fast sails. Make no mistake, however, the boat leaves some marks, usually black and blue but sometimes a sickly yellow verging on orange.

This event has been well covered by the sailing media. CYC did a great job hosting the event and Charlie Rathkopf set excellent courses and (after that shift on the first race) very square start lines. Results here. Our great Northwest photographers were on top of the action. Jan Anderson was out all Saturday, and Sean Trew was out Friday and Sunday. Scuttlebutt gave it daily coverage, and Chris Howell supplied photos  to Sail-World for the event. If you’d like to add some color (words or pictures) to this coverage, send it along and I’ll post a followup.