 J/111s Loved Sailing Key West
(Key West, FL)- While there were lots of little boats blazing around like busy bees on the waters off Key West, the majestic beauty of the "big boats" was quite a sight to behold. This year, the big J's all sailed on the Division 3 course, the easternmost course for Quantum Key West and perhaps one of the best sailing areas due to less current and flatter waters with minimal boat traffic to worry about.
The J/111s had a trio of boats that sailed a highly competitive series with one Key West 111 veteran returning (WICKED 2.0) and two class newcomers ready to roll (LAKE EFFECT and FIREBALL). For starters, the weather conditions were well-suited to the J/111s, with moderate to strong breezes most of the week. The regatta did break down into the "tale of three winds". Light air Monday right out of the North as a result of a weakening front. Then moderate to heavy breezes of 12-22 kts from the NNE, getting stronger on Tuesday, at its peak on Wednesday, then moderating into Thursday. Finally, the fleet was treated to moderating easterly, very shifty on Friday. For the 111s, no question Wednesday's racing was most fun as in the puffs they could jump onto long planes taking hundreds of yards of gains at a time on the fleet in the 3-4 foot easterly seas.
 The J/111 debut of Bob Hesse and gang on LAKE EFFECT was particulary noteworthy. A native Youngstown/ Rochester sailor, Hesse and his crew are no strangers to the waters of Key West, having sailed competitively in the past in the pro-based Melges 32 class. It all came down to the last three races for the top five. In the end, Hesse's crew managed a 1-4-4 to grab second overall, sneaking past Jim Bishop's modded J/44 WHITE GOLD who posted a 3-5-6 to finish third. Sailing ever more consistently, faster and smarter, was Doug Curtiss on the famous J/111 WICKED 2.0, sailing to a 2-3-3 to tie WHITE GOLD, but losing the tie-breaker. Another notable performance towards the end of the regatta was the J/111 FIREBALL sailed by Team Fireball, a very recent class newcomer. With its blazing sunset orange paint job, it was a spectacular-looking boat and in the end, fired-off a 2-2 on the last day to show they had learned a thing or two from their comrades-in-arms! Good on ya, mates! Sailing photo credits- Onne Vanderwal and Tim Wilkes. For more Quantum Key West PHRF sailing information |
 J/111 European Circuit
(Les Sales d'Olonne, France)- The European J/111 owners have organized a fantastic sailing circuit for the summer of 2013. It starts in the spring in France, heads over to the United Kingdom mid-summer and ends in the finale in The Netherlands.
The schedule is nicely spaced out over the course of the spring/summer with the first event starting on Easter Holiday Weekened in April and completing in September. Here is the current schedule:
May 8-12- Semaine de Porquerolles, France- Ile de Porquerolles, France
June 6-9- J/111 Europeans- Le Havre, France
August 3-10- Cowes Week- Cowes, Isle of Wight, England
August 30-September 1st- Breskens Week- Breskens, The Netherlands
Please be sure to conatct Fred Bouvier (France), Paul Heys (UK) or Robin Verhoef (Netherlands), the J/111 European Class coordinators for more details about the European J/111 Circuit. Contacts for each are below:
- Fred Bouvier-
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- Paul Heys-
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- Robin Verhoef-
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 J/111 Northeastern Circuit
(Newport, RI)- The J/111 sailors in the Northeast/ Mid-Atlantic have a series of regattas in that spring that also act as "feeders" for summer time sailing in New England. On Long Island Sound, J/111 sailors are planning to congregate for the American YC Spring Series held over two weekends in Rye, New York. On the Chesapeake Bay, 111 sailors will be sailing as a one-design class in the Annapolis NOOD Regatta at Annapolis YC. The Annapolis-Newport Race acts as a natural feeder for boats from down south to head into the cooler climate of the New England sailing summer, with events based in Newport and Block Island; and for the more adventurous- the fabulous Chester Race Week in Nova Scotia. Sailing photo credit- Tim Wright- Photoaction.com. Here's the basic schedule:
April 27- American YC Spring Series- Rye, NY
May 3-5- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
June 7- Annapolis-Newport Race- Annapolis, MD
June 14-16- New York YC Annual Regatta- Newport, RI
June 23-28- Block Island Race Week- Block Island, RI
August 2-4- Buzzards Bay Regatta- Padanaram, MA
August 9-11- Downeast Race Week- Northeast Harbor, ME
August 14-17- Ida Lewis Distance Race- Newport, RI
August 23-25- PHRF New Englands- Marblehead, MA
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 J/111 North Americans Hosted by Chicago YC
(Chicago, IL)- Be sure to mark you calendars for a series of fantastic events being hosted by the Chicago YC this summer from August through September.
The big event will be the first J/111 North Americans on August 14-18th, hosted at the famous Belmont Harbor clubhouse for the Chicago Yacht Club. Renown for being the host of many major one-design events off the Chicago waterfront, this clubhouse is perfectly situated right on Chicago's waterfront and generally less than 2-3 nm from the starting area offshore. Regatta Co-Chairs will be Len Siegal and Ray Groble.
Prior to the start of the 111 NA's, there will be at least three events that teams can participate in- the Chicago-Mac, the Port Huron-Mac, the Harbor Springs Regatta and the Verve Cup. If you've never had a taste of "sweet-water racing", this may be the best chance ever. 111s are tailor made for these offshore events in the Great Lakes. With warm/cold fronts blasting across the vast prairies, the racers often find themselves reaching at great rates of speed, rarely is it ever a blast to windward for any period of time. In fact, in the infamous 2012 Chicago-Mac Race, the J/111s had a wide range of conditions, from 5-12 kts SE at the start up to Point Betsie, to facing a challenging squall line with upwards of 60+ knot winds, to a very fast sleigh-ride into Mackinac down the Straits and under the Mackinac Bridge-- J/111s took nine of the top ten spots overall-- with Team KASHMIR winning the Chicago-Mackinac Trophy! More J/111 North Americans registration and sailing information will be available on the Chicago YC site soon! Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes
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