Fall - J/22 Class Website
Transcription
Fall - J/22 Class Website
United States J/22 Class Association p i h s n o i p m a h C r e t FL n i pa, w m a d T i • M b 2 2 t Clu / h J c a 9 Y 0 d n 0 a 2 Isl avis 0•D 2 8 1 y r a ebru F F a l l 2 0 0 8 • V o l u m e 7 • I s s u e 4 Letter from the President President Chris Doyle Kenmore, NY [email protected] 716-874-0605 First Vice President Chris Princing Saginaw, MI [email protected] 989-781-2640 Second Vice President Kelson Elam Rockwall, TX [email protected] 972-771-3421 Chief Measurer Tom Linville Weems, VA [email protected] 804-438-6038 Treasurer/Secretary Terry Schertz Lakewood, CO [email protected] 720-394-9951 Even after repeated chants from the Class membership of “four more years,” our President Chris Doyle elected to rejoin the ranks of the Class and concentrate on learning to sail upwind with his hat on backwards. We thank Chris for his hard work and steady leadership. Someone tripped me on the rush to the door, and I got nominated for the vacant position. The Corinthian sailing spirit doesn’t seem to exist when it comes to Class politics. I am, however, proud and honored to serve the members of the Class and fill Chris’s topsiders as best I can. The 104 entries at the World Championships in Rochester this year is a sign our Class is still strong. We, however, have plenty of room for growth and improvement. As a Board, we plan to work on a few key areas in the coming year: Technical Committee Chair Lars Hansen Golden Valley, MN [email protected] 763-529-6551 Remember the Customer: The Class exists to serve the entire membership. We will look for ways to help and grow at all levels. Regatta guidelines help race officers provide a better product on the water. As a member group of US Sailing, we need to increase our voice and presence in that organization. For those members that aren’t addicted to racing, we need to provide products and services to meet your needs. Nominating Committee Chair Joe Gibbs Madison, MS [email protected] 601-856-1086 One-Design: It’s not just a set of rules, it’s an attitude. We need to ensure our rules can be understood and enforced. Digital versions of old drawings and a clear hiking rule are on the list. Protecting a single design helps keep our boats affordable and valuable. Executive Secretary Christopher Howell Cleveland, OH [email protected] 440-796-3100 Get New, Get Young, Get Better Looking: As always, we want to find ways to attract new boat owners and members. The average age of our members goes up every year so we better attract some kids to push the wheel chairs. Having 41 women at a recent Road to Rolex clinic in Texas shows we have lots of interest from the prettier side of the species. More would be even better. International President Christopher Doyle USA [email protected] International President John Den Engelsman The Netherlands [email protected] Class Office P.O. Box 391095 Solon, OH 44139 440-796-3100 [email protected] Webmaster Suzie Wulff Cleveland, OH [email protected] Keep it Clean and Fun: It’s OK if we don’t give the protest committees a lot of practice. On-the-water policing by competitors is everyone’s job. We have a great reputation for sportsmanship in our Class, and we need to guard it closely. Get More Members Involved: If you want to help with anything from marketing to measuring to taking a turn on the Class board, please come forward. I’ve made many new friends just by getting involved. 2009 promises to be an economically challenging year. Many will be making new decisions about how to spend time and money. Sailing and racing J/22s is still one of the best values in our sport. We should be able to weather the storm. Newsletter Editor Julie Howell Cleveland, OH On behalf of the J/22 Class Association, I would like to wish all a happy holiday season and best wishes for the new year. International Class Office 12900 Lake Ave., Suite 2001 Lakewood, OH 44107 440-796-3100 [email protected] Kelson Elam U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 3 Some Assembly Required By Will Harris A new USWatercraft J/22 actually began life as a dinosaur, millions of years ago. But we’ll skip ahead a bit and pick up the story when the materials to build the boat actually arrive at our facility. As you can tell from the photos, there is some assembly required. In this article, I will give you a quick tour of our facility and give you an overview of the process of transforming rolls of fiberglass and barrels of resin into a race-winning J/22! For the purposes of this article, we are going to simplify the process a bit and present things a little bit out of order. In reality, making a boat is a little like making a movie—it’s not shot in sequence! Production Planning and Scheduling This is the least photogenic and not all that exciting part, but in fact may be the most important for us from a production standpoint. First, we need to check the availability of all the components and raw materials. Some items are easier than others to purchase! Fortunately, Rhode Island is at the center of the boat-building community, and many of our suppliers are local. Some components however have pretty long lead times. Currently the mast and booms come from Sparloft in New Zealand. Also, keels are not an “on the shelf item” and, contrary to popular belief, we don’t keep a gross of them in stock. Karl’s tillers also have a long lead time. Fortunately, we know it’s worth the wait in cases like this and plan accordingly. In an effort to control our inventory, we try to arrange deliveries just in time. The other challenge is production scheduling. Our shop is large, but it is still finite. We only have so much room for so many molds, hulls, decks, etc. We build many different One-Design boats including the Farr 40s, M-30, J/105, J/24s and of course, our favorite, the J/22. There is a lot of competition for the available space. Juggling everything to keep the process flowing is a real art. If the scheduling breaks down, our productivity slows, and we get really unhappy customers and dealers who want their boats! Prefab Glass The key to keeping our products consistent, controlling weights and ensuring quality, is the prefab of the fiberglass, core and wood parts. For this, we have exact templates and patterns for 4 U n i t e d S t a t e s everything we use in the hull, deck and interior components. The fiberglass is patterned and cut out in multiple layers on this table. As the material is cut out, it is assembled into kits and laid out in the exact sequence that it will be utilized. Every piece must be made very precisely. When things fit properly, there is no excess, which eliminates added weight. In addition, it ensures the mold room team can work efficiently. As each kit is assembled, each piece is weighed and checked against a master list with target weights. Laminating We are finally to the point where it looks like we’re making a boat! There are several different molds including the hull, the deck and three interior components (rudder, seahood and hatch slide). Before we utilize them, we need to prep them. First, they must be cleaned and checked for any nicks, dings or other imperfections. A scratch in the mold means a scratch in the part. Next, they need to be polished and waxed to ensure the molded part releases from the mold. We really need the part to come out of the mold. Outer Skin Next, gelcoat is sprayed on to the mold surfaces (using a special gelcoat gun) to a thickness of 22mils. This gun mixes a precisely metered amount of catalyst with the gelcoat, just as it leaves the gun. Getting the mixture exactly right is critical and varies based on temperature, humidity and other factors. Molding gelcoat will not fully cure until covered with the first layer of fiberglass mat. The next step in the process is to laminate the outer skin. The outer skin is made with the mold separated into its two halves. The main advantage to this method is access. This layer is what you will see. Good access to the entire mold surface makes this easier and better. When the outer skin is complete, the mold is bolted back together and the seam is dealt with. J / 2 2 When you lay-up glass, you probably mix up a batch of resin and pour it out on the material and squeegee it out—the “bucket and brush technique” as that process is known in the business. Not the most accurate, but in a small repair, probably not a big a deal. To make strong, consistent and light components, we need to be a lot more careful and precise with our resin-to-glass ratios. We achieve this through the use of a laminating machine. The laminating machine consists of a series of rollers that wet out the cloth with resin, then squeeze most of it back out in a very controlled way. The pre-cut glass pieces are fed into the machine and come out on a roll. They are then precisely laid in the mold and consolidated with ridged rollers. Any air bubbles are rolled out, and the layers are monitored to ensure the fibers are straight and in the proper orientation. Since the glass is pre-cut to the exact shape and wet out accurately, we get very repeatable results. It’s important to note that the laminate schedules and construction methods are strictly defined in the builder’s specifications. We could make a 22-foot boat that would be lighter and stronger and look just like a J/22…it just wouldn’t be a J/22! Our challenge is to build the very best boat we can within the tolerances of the builder’s specifications. Core With the outer skin now complete, we move on to the balsa core. The core has all been carefully pre-cut so it will fit perfectly. Getting the core perfectly bonded without adding extra weight requires some seriously skilled hands. Having the core pieces fit exactly goes a long way to making this possible. There are some areas where there is no core in both the hull and deck. Along the centerline of the hull and around the keel sump is solid glass (many layers). In other areas where hardware is attached (like the transom for rudder hardware and on deck in the winch and bow cleat locations), we replace the balsa core with a high density product called Penske board. This product will never absorb water. Managing these transitions is a very important step. Once the core is installed and fully cured, we proceed to lay up the inner skin. This is done in the same way as the outer skin with careful attention paid to orientation of the fibers and overlaps on the edges. Careful preparation of the materials ensures consistent overlaps which translates to less weight. We finish-off the inside skin with an air dry gelcoat to leave a nice finish. The hull typically stays in the mold for about week until materials are fully cured. This picture of a Farr40 being demolded shows how we split the mold to release the hull. The deck and interior moldings are built in much the same way. Just as we weigh everything in the prefab stage, each component is weighed when it comes out of the mold before and after the flanges are trimmed off. Through the many years of building the J/22, we have target weights for each molded component. Throughout the process we always have an accurate picture of how we are doing in regard to our weight budgets. If any component is over target weight, it never makes it into the boat! Assembly Some of you will have wrestled with a bulkhead replacement or other project in the cramped confines of your J/22. We have the distinct advantage of doing our work with the lid off! The interior moldings and bulkheads are built with flanges, and precisely positioned and bonded to the hull with a super-space age structural adhesive. This is a great deal stronger than oldschool fiberglass tabbing. It’s lighter too! J/22s are fairly simple from a plumbing and electrical standpoint. A couple of cockpit drain hoses and some ground wires round out these systems. Deck hardware is attached to the deck before it is bonded to the hull. One man can install almost everything this way. As I know you all can appreciate, this is far easier done with the deck off. Hanging upside down and sideways inside the boat is not an efficient or fun way to install the hardware! You will notice blue stuff all over the deck in the pictures. This is a latex masking that we roll on to protect the deck surface during construction. The last thing we do is peel it off as the boat leaves the shop, leaving a clean surface! With the deck hardware on and the interior completed, we can now bond the hull and deck. Prior to permanent attachment, we dry-fit the deck. This entails a lot of careful alignment and adjusting before the deck is bonded to the hull flange with structural adhesive. U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 5 With the deck on, we install the compression post, mast step and connect the cockpit drains. Measurements are taken, and slots are cut for the chain plates. The chain plates, toe rails, slider and seahood are now installed. It is really starting to look like a boat now! Final Fit The boat moves to the finishing area for the homestretch. The keel is placed in a keel cart and is leveled. The cart can be rolled under the boat for installation. The hull mold is really two parts that fit together on the centerline. We split it apart to get the hull out. This leaves a ridge all along the center seam. It gets cleaned up and repaired as needed. The boat is then lifted and placed on boat stands for keel fit and rudder installation. We use a template of the top of the keel to transfer keel bolt pattern to the sump. The holes in the sump are drilled slightly oversized to allow some flexibility during the installation process. Next we level the boat and hang plumb bobs fore and aft. The rudder hardware is then installed and the keel dry-fit. The top of the keel gets a layer of epoxy bedding compound and caulk around each bolt. It is aligned as the boat is lowered. The nuts are not final torqued until the bedding compound is fully cured the next day. The fairing team comes in and adds a bi-ax tape to cover the keel/sump joint and fairs the keel in epoxy fillers. Bottom Prep At this point, we basically have a J/22. But, to be a world-class USWatercraft race boat, it needs the attention of the fairing department. Due to the limitations of the molds and the fact that we are required to use polyester resin, we need to perfect the bottom. The boat gets rolled over to the fairing area. We locate, mark and tape off the waterline, and then cover the topsides and deck with plastic. Next, the entire bottom is dyed blue with a special industrial dye meant for machine shops. The dye ensures that everything has been sanded and makes any remaining low spots jump out. Now for some (a lot) of sanding. All the work on a Waterline bottom is done by hand. Knocking off the center seam ridge is the only time we let a power tool touch a bottom. The first pass with 120 prepares the bottom for epoxy and shows us where the low spots are. 6 U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 The lows are filled with epoxy filler and carefully checked to ensure a fair, symmetrical bottom. After an overnight cure, the bottom is re-sanded and the filler faired in. There is another check for fairness and symmetry, and any problem areas are filled again. This process continues until the bottom is truly fair and symmetrical. When we are satisfied, the waterline is retaped again, and spraying can start. The boat is hung so we don’t have any poppit marks to deal with. We begin with three coats of Interprotect 2000 as a barrier coat and follow up with four to five coats of epoxy primer. When that cures, all surfaces are again dyed. Once again, the entire bottom is hand sanded with 120 grit. Sanding seems pretty mindless, but in reality is an art. There are many more ways to sand the bottom unfair than fair! At this point, the bottom is fair and symmetrical. The guys do a close check for pinholes, and fill any they find. Another round of dye, and the bottom is sanded to the grit required by the finish paint. After sanding, everything is re-masked again, and the boat is wiped and tack ragged to the paint manufacturer’s specification. Finally, we can spray finish paint. The boat is hung again, and six to seven coats of final finish are applied. I bet you can guess what comes next. Yep, more dye and lots more sanding. Now however, it is wetsanding. For an epoxy bottom, we start with 320, moving to 400, then 600. Anti-fouling paints are softer, so we start with 400 moving to 600. Finally we get to check our work. We have already weighed every component and have a really good idea of how much corrector weight the boat will need. The final check is the “Builder’s Weight.” We hang the boat on a calibrated load cell and record the all-up weight on the Builder’s Certificate. Loose gear is checked and loaded. The boat is loaded onto the trailer, the mast is loaded, everything is secured and out it goes to proudly represent the combined efforts of the staff of Waterline Systems & USWatercraft! Shreveport Southwest Circuit Regatta October 18-19 By Jeff Progelhof Ever wonder what to do with leftover mayonnaise? The J/22 Southwest Circuit came to Shreveport for a weekend of great light air sailing and a great time. Race Committee and J/22 veterans Wiley and Amy Pollard and Louis Conger led the race committee. After the Skippers’ Meeting on Saturday morning and “make your own lunch” bar, the fleet headed out on the lake. Kelson Elam won the first race with Jeff Progelhof in second and Eric Kownancki (2008 Tuna 20 National Champion) in third. Eric was the guest skipper for Keith Zars and had the pleasure of sailing with Keith’s sons Brian and Charles. Winds continued to be light and very shifty, and those who could master the next “steps” could really make huge gains. Find one of the holes, or be a few boat lengths away from the lane, and you could watch the others freight-train by. Eric did a horizon job in the second race, and Kelson won the third race with Bill Mitchell from Austin in second. PRO Wiley decided to run a fourth race since the weather forecast for Sunday was for calm winds. Kelson won the fourth race with the teams coming off the water around 5:30 pm. Team Hoss’ foredeck, Erin Calk, had put some mayonnaise in a baggie for the make-your-own sandwiches and near the end of the day, the mayo was not looking so good. Somehow it ended up in Kelson’s winch handle pocket. SAFE Regatta Chairman Bill Jennings had prepared an excellent Saturday evening with thick “cook-your own” steaks and chicken prepared on the club outdoor grill. Many of the teams hung out for the free beer, great food, and the Texas vs. Missouri and LSU vs. South Carolina football games on TV. I believe a number of teams went on for further flocking at local bars and the gambling boats. Sunday morning, the teams headed out on the water with more wind than expected, but still very light. The bag of mayonnaise was tossed from boat to boat, and trying to avoid being close to the boat with the mayo added complexity to the starting process. The fifth and final race was about two hours long (and seemed much longer). Huge gains and losses continued. Eric mastered the race and won, with Jeff passing Kelson by banging the right shoreline to the finish. Local Thistle expert Chris Laborde, sailing on Hoss, had seen the move many times before, and the team leveraged a little local knowledge. The top three overall for the event were Kelson Elam, Jeff Progelhof and Eric Kownacki. Thanks again to Wylie, Amy and Louis for running the races; Bill for pulling the regatta together; and Tracy Lanagan, Mike Wolcott, Marcus Clements, Richard Eglin and all the other Shreveport Yacht Club members who hosted us. We had a great time and plan to be back again next year. • • • • • • • • • • • • and Sound Protects bottoms Chemical and solvent resistant Extremely durable Will not rot Does not hold moisture against boat U.V. resistant Saves time and money Includes stainless steel mounting hardware Non marking Non scratching Fits most existing stands and trailers Easy to install ATLAS BOAT PAD Atlas Boat Pad P.O. Box 515 Sturbridge, MA 01566 1-508-347-8212 www.atlasboatpad.com [email protected] U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 7 Rush Creek Yacht Club to Host 2009 J/22 North American Championship The North American Championship is once again coming to Dallas! Rush Creek Yacht Club, located on Lake Ray Hubbard, will host the North Americans from September 28–October 2, 2009. RCYC hosted the Midwinter Championship in 2008 and the North Americans in 2000, and is looking forward to another fantastic event. The end of September is a perfect time of the year to come to Dallas. Temperatures are typically in the mid-80s, and winds can range for 5 to 25+ with a good chance for a variety of conditions. Lake Ray Hubbard is built on open prairie, and there is minimal influence from the surrounding shoreline. The water temperature will still be very pleasant, and RCYC has excellent facilities including two cranes for launching, an open area for boat preparation and parking, and plenty of dock space. Although the weather conditions always vary, we can guarantee fine Texas hospitality! Past experiences for J/22 events include the Turkey Fry for the Midwinters, the Blues Brothers Tribute Band and the now famous annual Texas Hold ‘em Poker tournament during the Southwest Circuit stop. You can be sure that the creative minds will find more outstanding ways to have fun on and off the water. Rush Creek looks forward to hosting the 2009 North American Championship, and we promise to provide excellent racing and a great time for you, your teams and your guests. Jeff Progelhof, Co-Regatta Chairman 8 U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 2008 Lake George Open / Northeast Championship L a ke Ge org e September 20-21 By Rex Moon As chairman of this year’s Northeast Championship at Lake George, more than once I asked myself how could we put together a regatta to equal the fantastic experience created by Mark Sertl, Jim Barnash and Flip Wehrheim in August at the 2008 Worlds in Rochester, NY. They are to be congratulated on a world-class regatta that was fun for all. So I just figured invite them, and they will come. And they did—38 boats this year from the north, east, south and west. Boats from Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and Ohio came to race and enjoy each other’s friendship. That was a start, but I knew there was more. All these boats were on the way, and the weather forecast was for light and variable for Saturday and 0-3 on Sunday. They couldn’t blame me, could they? They arrived Friday night, many old friends and some new friends. We partied, renewed our friendships and prepared for racing on Saturday. On the way to the club on Saturday morning, I was surprised to be boating across the lake in a nice 5-6 knot breeze out of the south, our prevailing wind direction. I was thinking this is great—a southerly usually holds. It not only held, but built during the day up to 8-12 by the afternoon. Saturday morning, we finished two races and headed in for lunch at the club with sailors, crews and spectators together. Coming in for lunch is fun, and it gives us a chance to look at scores. Oh the stress of it all. After two races, Chris Doyle, Adam Burns and Will Harris were in front with a first and a third for four points. Flip Wehrheim was next with nine points, followed by Kevin Doyle with 10 points, Ron Harris with 12, and Jared Wallin with a first in the second race along with Bill Dutcher from Lake George at 13 points. The racing was competitive with boats finishing in lots of different places. There were two additional races Saturday afternoon, finishing just after 4:30 with nice winds still out of the south. Again an interesting afternoon with hard choices upwind and down—go left, go right, go up the middle? At the end of day one, Chris Doyle was in first place with 15 points (1, 3, 3, 8); Flip, Scott Kinsella and Jim Barnash were two points behind Chris in second with 17 points (4, 5, 2, 6). Then there was Dave Kerr from Rocky River, OH in third with 22 points, Peter Doyle in fourth with 22 points and Bill Dutcher in fifth with 39 points. There were three more races scheduled on Sunday so all of these crews were calculating what they had to do to move up in the scores. Cocktail hour Saturday evening was at 6:30 with dinner scheduled at 7:30 at the Lake George Club. Chef Tony outdid himself as usual, and the band was playing a long list of great dance music. Thanks to a tradition started in 2002 by Chris Doyle, all of the men (no matter the age) arrived in ties and blue blazers. The stories abound! There was continued talk about which side of a Lake George course is favored, and everyone danced on. Our traditional grab bag positions (28th and 35th) were picked out of the hat by Erin Badcock. Bill Finnen called “last call” just before 1:00 am. Breakfast the next morning had some hung-over, but very happy, sailors. Sunday started with NO wind. There wasn’t any wind predicted, and true to the weatherman’s prediction, there wasn’t any to be had. The race committee thought they would try to get one in and headed out to see what they might set up. A number of boats got part way out and then headed for the hoist. Then it came—first a zephyr out of the east, just enough to tease us a little. And then the northerly came in. The weathermen still are scratching their heads, and all the boats at the lift headed for the course. The race committee set a course, and the wind kept building through short first and second races. By the end of the third race, the wind had built to 20, with gusts to 25, and waves out of the north that made for some real fun downwind. We headed in with a total of seven races and a throw-out. It was a wild two days with something for everyone—light, calm, wind and waves. When we came in for lunch and to pack up, things had changed a little. Flip ended the two days in first with very consistent finishes (4, 5, 2, 3, 4, 4; discarding a 6) totaling 22 points. Flip accepted the Northeast Championship trophy donated by Waterline Systems and promised to return next year to defend his title. Chris Doyle’s team was second with 24 points (1, 3, 3, 8, 8, 1). Dave Kerr with Lee Sackett and Bill Brower was third with 30 points (6, 4, 1, 9, 1, 9); Peter Doyle from Youngstown, NY with Pat Whelan and Jason Suitor was fourth with 33 points (10, 2, 5, 5, 9, 2); and Kevin Doyle fifth, sailing with Vic Snyder and Aaron Snyder with 43 points (2, 8, 1, 21, 5, 6). The best local boat award went to Bill Dutcher with his crew Chris Connoly and Joe Glennon in 11th place with 61 points. The grab-bag prizes were donated by our friends at North Sails. The first, a North Sails mast bag, went to Jason Goscha with Stacey Anderson and Paul Quinn from Baltimore, MD in 28th place. Our second grab-bag prize, a North Sails rudder bag, went to Rick Provenzano sailing with John Tarrant and Matt Bailey in 35th place. Looking back, the answer to the question I posed became a lot clearer as the weekend progressed. It’s leadership from people like our outgoing Class president Chris Doyle who has done so much to move our Class forward over the last several years. It is of course the venue, and I’m fortunate to work with a fantastic club manager and staff who really make it easy. And it’s the committees, the local sailors from our fleet and our J/24 fleet who come out to support the sport of sailing. Of course, I must mention our PRO Ried Stave who, with RCC Roger Voss, set courses that kept us moving all weekend long. But most of all, it’s the sailors. I had the privilege again at the 2008 Northeast Championship to sail and trade stories with some of the nicest ladies and gentlemen I have sailed with in my 55 years of sailboat racing. So many thanks to all, and we will see you next year on September 26-27 in Lake George, NY when we will meet and do it again. U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 9 Has it REALLY been 25 Years? By Carolyn Freeman When Galen and I were approaching our 25th wedding anniversary, we were discussing all that had happened in our lives to that point. You know, all the ups and downs, highs and lows that every marriage goes through. We were marveling at it all ‘cause every one at our wedding knew it wouldn’t last six months. Anyway, I finally said, “Has it really been 25 years?” Galen shook his head in disbelief and said, “No, it just seems like 24!” He still makes me laugh now that we are approaching our 40th on March 1, 2009! Back in 1983, we were four years into our love affair with the hottest one-design around, the J/24. One day a friend in Nashville, Doug Anderson, called and said, “Galen, you’re a J Boat dealer aren’t you? I want to order the new J/22 that’s advertised in this month’s Sailing World for $8,995.” Galen was mortified pointing out that we had a very active J/24 Southeast Circuit, and it would be the logical choice. Doug was adamant. When we took his Hull #90 for a test drive later that year, we immediately put our J/24 on the market and put our order in for this great new boat. After Mobjacks, Sunfish, Thistles, San Juan 21s and J/24s, we had finally found the boat that perfectly fit our needs. So what about the J/22 Class? It really started very innocently when Bob Johnstone of J Boats called his dealers to tell them of the first J/22 Nationals to be held in September of 1984 at the prestigious Eastern YC in Marblehead, MA. We packed up our new Hull #319 (Goody 2 Shoes and the Filthy Beast), our young teenagers Ladd and Shea, along with a new board game called Trivial Pursuit and headed east. On the way I tried to caution Galen, “Now don’t go in there and volunteer for anything!” Even then I knew I was wasting my time. The 16-boat fleet met to organize the Class and, with me kicking him under the table, of course Galen volunteered to put out a newsletter. It was a natural since we had a publishing company and, of course he said Carolyn would be happy to organize the Class Office. It was the “beginning of a beautiful friendship.” We got the first yearbook together and met at Doug Anderson’s house to apply mailing labels. Doug was the first president of the Class. From there, the Class grew. Obviously this was long before the internet so we did things the old fashioned way. We spent a lot of time on the phone with new owners putting them in touch with others to form fleets, then districts, then regional and national events. Along the way we found many whom we referred to as “spark plugs” to become the leadership of the Class. Galen spent years on the phone with owners who needed sailing tips, rigging tips, repair tips, trailering tips. You name it, he was always eager to talk J/22s. His enthusiasm was boundless. Twice in 1987 and 1988, the United States Yacht Racing Union (now US Sailing) 10 U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 awarded us the One-Design Class of the Year. I don’t think they even do that anymore. Eventually, in 1991 (I think), the Class achieved International Status by ISAF through years of efforts on the part of many like Chief Measurer Chip Carpenter, President Bruce Burner, Jerris Miller of the Caymans, Tom Tutsch of Canada and others too many to mention in Jamaica, South Africa, Holland, Italy and Germany. It was quite a journey from the original 16-boat fleet to over 1,600 worldwide! Our World Championships have become some of one-design’s premier events, but those Wednesday night series and club races remain the core of a great class of sailors who all love the performance of the boat and the camaraderie it brings. We have been blessed with participation from world-class sailors who generously share their expertise. But everyone knows there is only one first place so Galen always got a kick out of awarding special trophies that distributed the silver throughout the fleet. He wanted the average guy to have achievable goals. So Midwinters and Nationals had “Longest Distance Traveled,” “Highest Finish by All Family Crew,” “Old Goat Highest Finish by Skipper over 50,” “All Female Crew” and “President’s Award for Last Place” with all races completed. The emphasis was on FUN and participation. But his favorite was the “Sportsmanship Award” voted on by the competitors themselves. Ballots were passed out at the beer keg after the final race while waiting for results. It was always great fun, and the trophy kept the competitive spirit during the event on a very Corinthian level. In many ways, it was the “Oscar” of the Class and was coveted by all. I’m proud to say Galen was the recipient on more than one occasion. We must take this opportunity to thank the Canadian Class for donating the new annual “Galen Freeman Sportsmanship Award” at the recent Worlds. He was overwhelmed at the honor, and I’m sure it will have the status it deserves in the eyes of the competitors for it denotes a great deal more than just sailing prowess. It is the spirit of the Class and the sport. Over the years, we have owned and raced seven J/22s from Goody 2 Shoes and the Filthy Beast to the red boat Tru Blu; Cheap Sunglasses which now resides at Annapolis YC; to Hull #222 Triple Deuce Coup, Cheeky Monkey, Hot Ruddered Bum, and the latest Helen Back. We can count among our friends hundreds of sailors from literally around the world. The J/22 Class is intricately entwined with our family’s history and memories. It is the source of hundreds of GREAT cocktail party stories as anyone who knows Galen, only he can tell. It is a great source of pride for us to see the Class flourish under its current leadership. Our hats are off the Chris and Julie Howell for the dedication and talent they have brought to it. Galen can now enjoy going to a regatta to simply sail and have fun and not be burdened with the weight of responsibility. I can smile with a lot of affection at the times when some in the Class called me the “Mutha” of the J/22s. In a way, I felt as if they were my children! Has it really been 25 years? To put it all in perspective, now that Galen and I are approaching our 40th anniversary, it’s interesting to note than nearly half that time (18 years) was spent with the wonderful people of the J/22 Class. It was a real hoot! Thanks for the memories! We look forward to more! J-22 2004 World Championships 1st 2005 World Championships 1st 2006 World Championships 1st & 3rd 2007 World Championships 2nd 2006 Europeans 1st 2007 Europeans 1st, 2nd, 3rd 2008 Europeans 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th What do the sailors on these J-22s’ have in common? Great crew work, the desire to win and Ullman/Skelley Sails. How do we do it? Hard work! We spend more time developing and testing sail shape and rig tune. Learn more about what Ullman/Skelley can do for you. East Coast Max Skelley Cleveland Greg Koski [email protected] www.skelleysails.com [email protected] 410-939-9261 216-486-5732 Florida Doug Fisher 941-951-0189 West Coast Bruce Cooper 714-432-1860 Gulf Coast, Miss. David Bolyard 985-626-5638 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 11 Rolex Internation Organizers of US Sailing’s Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship (IWKC) have announced a change in venue and dates for the next running of this biennial regatta. Due to the impact of September’s Hurricane Ike on the greater Houston area, including the Galveston Bay communities of Clear Lake, Kemah, La Porte and Shoreacres, where the Houston Yacht Club (HYC) is situated, the organizing committee made the difficult decision to pass the helm to another club and not host the 2009 regatta. The new host is Rochester Yacht Club (RYC), NY, and the new dates for the event are October 7-10, 2009. “We are deeply saddened that Houston Yacht Club will not be able to run the Rolex IWKC again in 2009,” said Taran Teague (Annapolis, MD), chair of US Sailing’s International Women’s Keelboat Committee, which oversees the Rolex IWKC. “The hospitality from Ginny Garrett’s big Texas team was unbelievable in 2007! The highlevel race management and personal attention to details from Jim Tichenor’s race committee was spectacular. He tells me that HYC will be back again to host another Rolex IWKC and other high level regattas. They will be missed as a host in 2009, but never forgotten. We extend our sincere invitation to HYC and the other sailors from Texas to join us in Rochester for 2009.” Four days of racing on Lake Ontario will be preceded by the Next Step to Rolex program, a developmental program for girls age 13-17 that seeks to offer keelboat training in a mentoring atmosphere, and two days of boat measurement and registration on October 4-5. Every day after racing, RYC will host a casual dockside happy hour where competitors can debrief, rehydrate and relax, while parties will take place each evening with the regatta culminating at the traditional Rolex gala and awards presentation where a Rolex timepiece will be awarded to the winning boat’s skipper. 12 U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 Presenting the RYC bid was Cory Sertl (Rochester, NY), who will serve on the local organizing committee and head up the Next Step to Rolex program. “The Rochester Yacht Club membership has always had an interest in hosting the Rolex Women’s Keelboat,” said Sertl. “In fact, Helen Ingerson from RYC is credited, along with Ann Connor of Newport, with creating the concept of an international regatta specifically for women. It is in her honor that we made the bid and accepted it. This area offers great racing conditions, especially in October. We look forward to welcoming sailors, their families and supporters to Rochester next October and carrying on the tradition of this tremendous regatta.” Sertl, a 1988 Olympian, is well-known in international racing circles for her competitive success as well as her long support of the administrative side of sailing. In addition to representing US Sailing at the annual ISAF (International Sailing Federation) meetings, serving on the ISAF Council and helping to successfully lobby for including women’s keelboat racing in the Olympics, she has competed in the regatta nine times, winning the inaugural Rolex IWKC in 1985 as crew and again as skipper in 2001, which lead to her selection as US Sailing’s 2001 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year (she also earned the distinction in 1985). The Rochester Yacht Club has named Anne Beadling (Rochester) as the 2009 chair of the organizing committee. Known for her organizational skills and passion for sailing, she most recently served on the committee for the 102-boat 2008 J/22 World Championship, held at RYC, as treasurer/secretary and project manager. “We are proud to be the home club of Cory Sertl, Annemarie Cook, Jane Mastrandrea and Amy Moran, who represented RYC at the 2007 Rolex IWKC and finished in second place,” said Beadling, who competed in the Annapolis Yacht Club’s running of the Rolex IWKC. “Our local J/22 fleet, fleet #55, was established in 1983, and since then the J/22 has grown to become the largest and most popular one-design at our club. On behalf of the Rochester Yacht Club, I extend our heartfelt sympathy to Houston Yacht Club and its members. Our planning and organizing committees are staffed, and preparations are underway. Coming on the heels of the IFDS World Championship in 2007 and the J/22 Worlds, the organizing committee and membership are excited to welcome such a prestigious event to our waters.” al Women’s Keelboat Championship Sets Sail to Rochester, NY in 2009 Soon after Hurricane Ike struck, US Sailing put out the word that host club bids were being sought. “We were pleased to have such substantial clubs, with excellent regatta and race management track records, step up to the plate and submit bids at the recent US Sailing Annual Meeting,” said Teague. “The four excellent yacht clubs that submitted bids within 10 days of being notified included Annapolis, Ida Lewis/New York, Southern and Rochester. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the entire committee for its hard work and long hours of discussion, which culminated in selecting Rochester Yacht Club to host the 2009 Rolex IWKC. I would also like to point out that the vote for Rochester was unanimous among the committee members.” Founded in 1985 by US Sailing and Rolex, the regatta is considered one of the world’s pinnacle events for women sailors. The Rolex IWKC utilizes the International J/22 Class keelboat, suitable for fourperson teams. Previous competitors have included Olympic medalists, America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race veterans, world champions and US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year, in addition to women of all ages with varying levels of racing experience. A Preliminary Notice of Race will be posted online in early 2009 at http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/RIWKC.htm. Contact Event Chair Anne Beadling by email at [email protected] or the Rochester Yacht Club at 585-342-5511. For more information about the 2009 Rolex IWKC or to subscribe to news updates, visit http:// championships.ussailing.org/Adult/RIWKC.htm. Gowrie, Barden & Brett Insurance benefits planning Celebrating the J22 Silver Anniversary Insurance • Boat Insurance & Finance • Yacht Clubs – The Burgee Program™ • Home WWW.GOWRIE.COM Auto Business Benefits 800-BOAT-911 U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 13 US Sailing’s 2009 Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship North Texas Road to Rolex Clinic Graduates 41 Women Sailors winds died for the day, we did some tacking-on-the-whistle drills. After the morning sail, we spent the rest of the day in the clubhouse discussing tactics, starting strategies and interpretation of the new racing rules for 2009.” From October 31 to November 2 in Oak Point, TX, 41 women sailors representing six US states, Canada and Mexico took part in the Road to Rolex Clinic at the Dallas Corinthian Yacht Club (DCYC). Coached by international competitor and coach Elizabeth Kratzig (Corpus Christi, TX/Miami Beach, FL) and designed to prepare women sailors for US Sailing’s Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship (Rolex IWKC), the three-day clinic featured drills on the water in J/22s, as well as classroom learning about keelboat racing. At the conclusion of the clinic, organizers held a short series of races where Lynette Edenfield (Fort Worth, TX) and her team were victorious. A three-time Rolex IWKC participant, Edenfield will receive a $200 credit toward her entry fee in the 2009 Rolex IWKC, scheduled for October 7-10 at the Rochester Yacht Club in Rochester, NY. Sunday was devoted to sailing and racing, from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. “It was nonstop learning and drills,” continued Finster. “At midday, the wind started to ease up, so the Race Committee decided to hold the mini-regatta early at 1:00.” “We had 10 teams sailing in J/22s generously loaned by club members and local Southwest Circuit racers,” said Gayle Finster, DCYC’s Road to Rolex Clinic organizer. “This Road to Rolex Clinic was an experiment of sorts as there had never been one in which individuals could sign up with borrowed boats provided. Most clinics are conducted with complete four-person teams, and participants bring their own boat. It turned out to be a successful endeavor, and many more women were able to participate and network with other women interested in forming teams. More planning was involved in matching up team members and rounding up boats, but everyone agreed it was worth the effort.” The weekend started on Friday with Kratzig leading a discussion with assistant coach Bryan Calk on sail controls and the effects of each adjustment on the shape and performance of the jib and main sails, and how to adjust upper and lower shroud tensions for varying wind conditions. Later that evening, the DCYC club members hosted the group for a casual get-together. Saturday’s schedule started with a chalk talk in the clubhouse by Kratzig and Calk, and then the group hit the water for short windward/leeward legs to practice roll tacking and teamwork. “Elizabeth hopped from boat to boat providing individual team coaching,” said Finster. “She handily adapted to the varying levels of skill and the variety of teams that were new to sailing with each other. Before the 14 U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 Although the group thought they were done with drills, Kratzig had one more trick up her sleeve: she instructed the fleet to do 10 rolling starts. “The average age of our participants was 45, and everyone hung in there and gave 150 percent,” said Finster. “The many starts allowed us to experiment with different types of start strategies in a group of 10 boats. Tired yes, but everyone gained new experience. After that, we did downwind starts leading to big pile-ups at the leeward mark. This drill tested our mark rounding skills in a crowd, and we all took away some good lessons.” Though there was a sigh of disappointment when participants learned the event will not be in Houston in 2009 due to damage from Hurricane Ike. “We know the event will be exceptional at the Rochester Yacht Club in New York,” said Finster. “We’re hopeful there will be a good showing of these fine women who sailed this past weekend.” The Road to Rolex Clinic in Oak Point, TX is the first scheduled on a calendar of clinics leading up to the 2009 Rolex IWKC. The Road to Rolex Clinics were initiated by US Sailing and Rolex Watch U.S.A. in 1997 to provide women sailors with additional opportunities to hone their sailing skills. Locations where past clinics have been held include a dozen US locations, South Africa and Holland. Each participant received a copy of the Road to Rolex Clinic manual written by Betsy Alison, a five-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. Alison has won the biennial Rolex IWKC five times and is the coach of the US Paralympic Team. Additionally, each participant received a copy of a DVD from Kratzig featuring video analysis taken during the clinic. For more information about the 2009 Rolex IWKC or to subscribe to news updates, visit http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/RIWKC. htm. Contact Rolex IWKC Event Chair Anne Beadling by email at [email protected] or the Rochester Yacht Club at 585-342-5511. Excitement Abounds on the Bay of Pigs Tawas Bay J/22 Fleet #44 2008 Report By Chris Princing, Fleet Captain 2008 Champion, Pigs R Us, USA 782 sailing upwind. September 27, 2008 Hog Tide, USA 121 Sailing downhill with Tawas Pointe light in the back ground. September 27, 2008 Photos courtesy of One rib Princing Oh baby it is cold outside, but it is hot in fleet #44! 2008 was the most exciting and fun season in the history of Tawas Bay Fleet #44. We are approaching our 10th year as a fleet…can you believe it?! Our small town of East Tawas has seen sailboat racing decline over the past few years, but this year that trend was reversed in our J/22 fleet. We actually gained numbers. 2007 was a down year for Fleet #44. Our participation was at an all-time low, and we only completed one race day. It did not look good and with the economy softening, we all started talking about bowling… In the late winter of 2008, we held our annual fleet meeting and party at the Coberly’s. Turn-out was great, and we always try to encourage new sailors, our team members and new crew possibilities to attend. It was a lot of fun and good to see everyone, but it was the meeting that turned the tide. Somewhere during the meeting, our future fleet champion puffed out his chest and stated that “we all need to make a commitment to show up every race date.” We all took this to heart. We then set a schedule with the fewest race dates we have ever scheduled in eight years. We also put a couple of make-up dates on there, and we used one of them. A few weeks later, I got a phone call from one of our friends, Mark Olgaard, who happened to be at the party. Dr. Mark called to tell me he bought a J/22 and was inquiring about advice on towing the boat back from Virginia. Well if you know me and my track record with trailers, I am probably not the right guy to ask, but I did volunteer to go get it for him if he ran into time problems. So sure as heck, he drove all the way out there to find out it had a bad axle on the trailer and came home empty handed. Not to worry as Tricky Dick and I jumped in Dick’s van and dragged her home a few weeks later. Fleet #44 now had seven boats! We started racing on May 24. We sailed three races, and the day was won by the future fleet champion USA 782, ‘Pigs R Us’, Matt Princing. Also winning races that day were USA 538, Don Thwing and the crew on the AARP-sponsored ‘Pig Dirty’, and also USA 838, ‘Anti-Swine’, Jennifer Princing. What a great way to start the year! As the year continued, we sailed three races on all of our race dates. Four of the seven boats won a race. The most consistent boat was probably USA 275, ‘The Other White Meat’. Mike Scott, Tim Scott and Dennis were on her most often, and they were rapidly improving as the year went on. USA 538, ‘Pig Dirty’ were also very consistent and had a chance to win the season going into the last race date. Don, Bill Coberly and Pierre’s sister were sailing very well and look to continue their success next year. USA 48 made its one and only appearance of the year on the last date and won a race. She also got a new owner—Sue Alexander is the proud new owner of ‘Porcine Accoutrements’. We look forward to helping Sue sail her pig next year. USA 121, ‘Hog Tide’ made it to almost all of the racing this year, sailing in the one design series and also the club PHRF racing taking second overall in that series. ‘Hog Tide’ is owned by Jenna’s grandfather, Dennis Princing, and she was sailed by him, his sons, his daughter-in-law, his grandson, three of his granddaughters , Tricky Dick and a few other questionable characters. USA 430, ‘Pygmallion’, made her way back to Tawas after a five-year hiatus out east. Her new owners are Dr. Mark Olgaard and Ryan Kruse. They sailed her well in their first year and purchased a set of new sails for next season. We expect they will figure it out sooner rather than later, and it was great seeing that old Pig spinnaker on the bay again. USA 838, ‘Anti-Swine’ had an abbreviated season. They sailed well early on, but missed the last two race dates due to the juvenile behavior of her owner. After multiple x-rays, it was revealed that Will is no longer a teenager. USA 782, ‘Pigs R Us’, won the season championship by seven points over ‘Pig Dirty’. Sailing on her were Matt Princing, Gary Sowden and Zac Bowdish. They won ½ of all of the races sailed in 2008. They excelled in all conditions and prove once again that bottles do belong on boats. 2008 was a great year in Tawas. We did not host a regatta, but we had more fun than ever before. There is some talk of others in the club that might be interested in the J/22. We hope they are, and we look forward to this coming winter meeting, when we will commit to our little pigs again! U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 15 Southeast District Report The Tennessean at Harbor Island Yacht Club April 12-13 The Ironman at Birmingham Sailing Club May 17-18 It was a windy day and Cousin Ed (a sunken pole in the middle of the course) was enjoying the action. With his hair (it looked like dried seaweed) blown back, short courses and college-style racing (five on Saturday and three on Sunday), we were all worn out and unable to party Saturday night. The final tally had Sean Clare in first with Julie, Wayne Cassady second because his crew (Doug Meyhoefer) sailed the wrong course, Carson third due to too too too many people on the boat (we apologize, but there isn’t enough room to list all the names) and Dennis fourth. We would like to say more about Dennis, but he had a date Saturday night. What? Yes, a date. See ya’ll next year! The second stop on the 2008 Southeast Circuit was the Ironman Regatta at Birmingham Sailing Club with eight J/22s competing. Racing got underway Saturday with clear skies and a 4-8 knot breeze. Bill Harshman jumped into the lead after a great start and never looked back to take the bullet in the first race. Galen Freeman charged back to take the next two bullets, but the racing stayed tight. One of Galen’s bullets came after he worked his way to the inside of a 5-boat pinwheel at the last leeward mark rounding. Galen made the rounding clean as a whistle, while the rest of us felt lucky just to escape without trading any paint. Heading in after the racing, Galen inquired about the availability of ice at the club. That could mean only one thing—a two-cycle blender creating frozen rum drinks! After By Doug Meyhoefer By Bob Blythe dinner, “Juke Box Jim” (joined by BSC member Terry Waldron) played guitar and took requests. Intermittently, the sound of the two-cycle was heard above the music. It must have been a hybrid, because the gasoline lasted longer than the rum…and the tequila…and the beer…and carrots (don’t ask)…and several of the sailors. Those who checked the standings Saturday night found Galen alone in first by five points. Wayne Cassady and his Kentuckians were in second, with Bob Blythe and Team Shazaam tied for third. However, only three points separated second from sixth so anything could happen. On Sunday morning, the breeze arrived bright and early with a steady 10-15 out of the west. The courses were longer, but the racing stayed tight. In the two races on Sunday, Wayne and Bob took the bullets, but Galen finished near top in both races to stay in first place overall. Remaining top five finishers were: Wayne, Bob, Vincent Priola, and Team Shazaam in fifth. Gold Sponsors Gold Sponsors have contributed $100 to the U.S. Class Peter De Beukelaer Madison, MS William Harshman Stone Mountain, GA Pat Kabris Excelsior, MN Drew Devitt Media, PA Christopher Howell Lakewood, OH Thomas Linville Weems, VA Christopher Doyle Kenmore, NY Fred Hunger Rocky River, OH Award & Sports Saginaw, MI Matt Dubois Grosse Ile, MI 16 U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 Stephen Paidosh Orono, MN Billy Bowlegs at Ft. Walton Yacht Club June 14-15 By Galen Freeman Ft. Walton Yacht Club hosted the first of what we hope will become a regular “Southeastern Series” regatta—the 2008 Billy Bowlegs Regatta. (Actually John found the real skinny on “the pirate”…a scruffy Seminole Indian.) While most of the country was complaining about $4 gas, six intrepid J/22 teams broke the kids’ piggy banks and traveled to Ft. Walton for five races over two days. A good time was had by all! In the spirit of being fair to the oil companies, the Hot Ruddered Bum team of John Robertson, Bruce Berner (our honorary southerner from the fleet in Indianapolis) and I did a cost comparison on the amount of gas required to completely refill the gas powered blender (those heathens at Birmingham Sailing Club had used up all the gas at the Iron Man). The result—we found the cost of the rum was much higher! Other than that, I just remember the racing was never over until it was over, the ribs on Smack Point were great, and the sand was the whitest in the world. If you were unable to make it, we are sorry for you. Don’t miss it next year! Watkins Cup Regatta at Kentucky Lake Sailing Club September 13-14 By Wayne Cassady Sean Clare mentioned that at last year’s Watkin’s Cup, it blew the squirrels out of the trees. This year, the event included winds that just took out the trees. Saturday, the winds were just about perfect for a challenging beat and then some downwind surfing in the puffs that were occasionally a little over 20. It was also hot (90+ degrees) and sunny, so the spray and sometimes dunking felt good. Teams Carson, Freeman and Cassady were the J/22s that showed for the racing this year, and the real racing was between Carson and Galen. Galen needed a crew member at the last minute so we got an unsuspecting, never-been-on-a-J/22, victim from our dock to jump on board and delivered him (Steve Smith) to Galen and John Robertson. We hoped he would like it, and we could tell at quite a distance that he did after the first race when he gave us a big grin and two thumbs up. The Kentucky Lake Sailing Club did a good job getting in four races on Saturday as the weather reports were that Sunday might be a little unmanageable. Sunday before racing, we headed to breakfast and crossed the dam to see real good breeze coming up the lake, but nothing that we’d not seen before. On the way back from breakfast, we decided to cross the dam again, and now I was looking at some breeze I’d never seen anywhere including at the lake. It was a scene off of the Weather Channel with people leaning into the wind to hold firm. A review of the NOAA Weather site for Paducah later showed that the reported winds were 81mph at KY dam, 78 mph at Grand Rivers and 76 mph at Calvert City. The racing was wisely called for the day and awards were presented. Carson was first, Galen second and, with three J/22s present, we snagged the third. Halloween Regatta at Augusta Sailing Club October 11-12 By Eli Putnam Two boats showed up for the Halloween Regatta in Augusta. The wind cooperated with us and kept a steady 15-20 mph all weekend long, which made for some great spinnaker runs and exciting mark roundings. We raced against three J/24s, and it was good to see Wayne Cassady out in front of not only us but also all of the 24s. Wayne and his crew did a great job with boat handling and were able to stay ahead all weekend. Saturday night featured a live band and a wonderful dinner. Many people showed up to the party in costume, and the band played until a little after midnight. Overall it was a great regatta and was run well both on and off the water. Equalizer at Percy Priest Yacht Club October 18-19 By Sean Clare The Equalizer was held on Percy Priest Lake in Nashville, TN. Six J/22s showed up for the final regatta of the 2008 Southeastern Series. Saturday morning was partly cloudy with a nice north 12-15 knot breeze. Sean Clare got off to a good start in the first race and never looked back. Galen Freeman was second with Bob Blythe in third. Race 2 started in the same conditions with Sean taking an early lead, but the course was littered with a large fleet of Catalina 22s causing problems at mark roundings which allowed the Freeman boat to slip in at a leeward mark rounding and win the race, followed by Sean and Bob. Race 3 once again started off in the same conditions. Due to a poor start, the Freeman boat bailed out early, went to the unfavored right side of the course, which quickly turned into the favored side. Galen was able to get ahead and stay ahead to win the race, followed by Wayne Cassady, who also went right and Sean in third. Race 4 started off in the same conditions but weather legs were a lot shiftier than the previous races. Bob did a great job playing the shifts on the weather legs and won race 4 followed by Sean and Galen. At the end of the day, Galen had a one-point lead over Sean; Bob was three points back; Wayne three points behind; followed by Brad Arnold and Ben Ford. Sunday morning, everyone drifted to the line for a 9:30 start, and drift we did for three hours, waiting on enough breeze to start a race. Race committee got off a race with about 10 minutes to spare before the cutoff time of 1:00 p.m. The wind was south, very light and variable, and very shifty. Galen rounded the weather mark first followed by Sean and Wayne. The downwind leg quickly turned into a close reach, with a course change at the leeward mark. The third and final leg turned into another close reach so there were few passing lanes. Galen rounded first and was able to keep everyone behind for the win. Wayne stayed low and was able to sneak in for second, followed by Sean and newcomer Ben right behind for fourth. Galen won the regatta with eight points, Sean was second with 11 points, Bob broke a tie with Wayne for third with 16 points, Wayne was fourth followed by Brad and Ben. It was great to see a new boat on the course—#110 skippered by Ben Ford. We hope to see him more next year. Thanks to PPYC and the Race Committee for putting on a great event on and off the water. For more information on the Southeast District, visit http://j22se.mystarband.net/. U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 17 Fleet 19 and East Coast Championships By Todd Hiller Among the flurry of sailing activity on the Chesapeake Bay November 1-2, Annapolis Yacht Club played gracious host to the J/22 East Coast Championship. The original date set for the event in early September was blown out due to Tropical Storm Hanna making her presence in the area. There were 18 boats registered for the regatta. Once again, Bobby Frey and the AYC race committee crew performed superb race management, reeling off a five-race series in two days. Conditions Saturday were fluky at best and made for challenging decisions. On Sunday, the breeze was up to a steady 10-15 kts. from the northeast and tapered to 8-10 by the last race of the series. The second race on Saturday was abandoned due to a 180 degree wind shift which was a bit disheartening for those five to seven boats that made it to the top mark. However, it was equally understood to start over again. There were teams from outside the Annapolis area. Two teams from Riverton, NJ (Terry Rapp and Bob Corney), Sandy Adzick from Corithanian Yacht Club in Philadelphia, PA, and Severn Sailing, the US Naval Academy and US Coast Guard Academy sent sloop team consisting of their top dinghy sailor. For the furthest traveled team, Travis Odenbach, all the way from the great white north of 18 U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 Rochester, NY, came to Annapolis. Odenbach’s team was excited for the balmy temps south of the Mason Dixon Line as they arrived in shorts and t-shirts. Odenbach admits to watching the temperature gauge in his truck on their way down waiting for the opportune time to change clothes. The top five finishers were Todd Hiller, Brad Julian, Alon Finkelstein, Travis Odenbach and Sandy Adzick. Sunday, the three races tightened up the top three contenders. Not realizing there was a drop race, Brad Julian, Matt Schubert, Lori Schubert (Saturday) and Dave Bonney (Sunday) were knocking on the door to Todd Hiller and his team which consisted of Lynda Hiller, Nicole Breault and Suzie Wulff. Julian dropped an eight in the first race, and Hiller let go a fifth in the third race. The final race proved worthy with Hiller winning and taking the title of 2008 East Coast Champion with Julian and Finkelstein as runner ups, respectively. Saturday evening’s dinner was exceptionally nice. Annapolis Yacht Club opened the third deck with a dinner buffet for the competitors. With Alon Finkelstein’s son proudly strapped to his chest, there was good news to be seen and heard come spring time. Let’s just say our fleet is growing. This regatta served a dual purpose and that was to determine the local yacht clubs fleet champion. Due to the rescheduling of the East Coasts, it was decided to combine the two events. Each year the event alternates local yacht clubs’ race committee to host. This year, the top three from Severn Sailing Association were Brad Julian, Alon Finkelstein and Sandy Adzick. The top three from AYC were Todd Hiller, Aden King and David Robinson. pictures taken by Dan Phelps / Spinsheet What are you doing from February 18-20? A) Racing against the top J/22 sailors in North America B) Laying by the pool C) Drinking rum and beer D) All of the above Answer D, and you’ll be among the participants of the J/22 Midwinter Championship at Davis Island Yacht Club in Florida! Now doesn’t that sound better than working and shoveling snow? www.diyc.org U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 19 Lake J/22 Circuit Regatta at Lake Canyon Yacht Club When Dave Bray and I were walking the docks on June 5, my thoughts were that there would be no way we will be able to have a J/22 regatta on the 7th and 8th if the wind continued to blow so hard. The wind was blowing at a steady 30-35 mph with gusts to over 40mph. The boats were really rocking and rolling, with white caps inside the breakwater. It was difficult to walk on the docks without danger of falling between the boats; it was a little scary. The wind sock reminded me of the old flag staff that was on the old tug boat moored at the L head in Corpus Christi. This was the old Corpus Christi Yacht Club before the present one was built. Each day, a man in a white jacket would run up the CCYC burgee, which consisted of a tape with grommet holes with about 3” of the burgee remaining. That is what our wind sock looked like, with just a few inches remaining from the horrible spring winds we had the past few months. This was one of the windiest springs that I can remember here at Canyon Lake. Living at the lake, it starts to get on one’s nerves with the day-in and day-out howling of the winds. Saturday arrived with winds predicted to be 20-30 mph for the day, as well as Sunday. Eighteen J/22s were registered, with sixteen actually sailing. I had a “Dream Team” to help run races. Dave Sanford and Anita took care of the windward and offset marks, finishes, and giving the first to finish the shotgun report. Lloyd Lindsey, Chris Besch and Robert Downs took care of the starting line, and after the start, setting the leeward gate. The RC Boat was manned by Bob Taylor, Betty Rourke and Bill McVey. The rescue and photo boat was manned by Charlie Dwyer and Sheri. By the way, check out Charlie’s photos on our website(lcyc.net)…they are truly outstanding! Race one started on time, with the first signal at 10:30 a.m. The wind was blowing at 155 degrees and over 20 mph. The course was set to a length of 1.0 NM, with a W-L-W-L-W to finish. Rob Johnston led all the way, with our local boys Fred Lindsey in fourth, Keith Zars in eighth and Commodore Wayne Peacock in 13th. Overall, Bruce and Scott Dunn beat Wayne three out of five races, and they were actually tied on total points, but Wayne beat him overall in our scoring system. All three races on Saturday were five nautical miles in length. Keith thought that three races were enough and everyone agreed, 20 U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 By Bubba Horner although we had the choice to go for four. We finished up nice and early, and everyone welcomed the early retirement. Sunday morning, it was more of the same with slightly less wind at the start, but it was still very gusty. We had a 9:30 am start. The wind was blowing at 170 degrees. The course length was 1.0 NM, with a W-L-W-L-W to finish. We had to do a general recall, as it was impossible to tell which boats were OCS. A warning signal with the “I” flag was set for the restart, which means that if you are on the course side of the starting line or its extension during the last minute before the starting signal, you would have to sail from the course side of the line around an extension to the pre-start side before starting. It is best to be near the pin end or RC boat if caught OCS during the final minute. That way, you do not have to sail as far if you are close to one of the ends of the line. Cover up High Quality J22 Covers Keel Cover w Rudder Cover w Tiller Cover Boom Tent Cover w Mast Cover To order: www.OneDesign.com/covers NORTH COVERS Making the Fun Last Longer Canyon We got our fifth race started without any problems. All the sailors really seemed to have a very good time and experience. It was a very high-wind regatta, but those are the ones you remember. Talk about parity. There was one point difference between third and seventh place. Two racers tied for third place with 25 points. Three tied for fifth place with 26 points. Rob Johnston from Rush Creek was first, followed by Jeff Progelhof (also from Rush Creek). Our own Keith Zars took third place, followed by Mark Foster from Corpus Christi Yacht Club, who is their new Commodore. Congratulations Mark! Kevin McConnell from the Fort Worth Boat Club was the last trophy winner. The real winner in the regatta was Michael Lindsey, who beat the big CA. Way to go Michael! He had plenty of family members as crew. Keith Zars was all family, as his sons Brian and Charles crewed. Fred Lindsey had Michael as crew. Bruce Dunn had his son Scott. Wayne Peacock, our Commodore, had his son Wesley as crew. A great meal was prepared by Mary Lindsey and Sue Radley, with helpers Sandra Lindsey, Vanette Christian, Kellie, Mary Holmes and Mary Bourgeois. Registrations were handled by Sandra Lindsey and Vanette Christian. Kellie Keith presented a beautiful silver wine cooler to the winners, with the first place trophy approaching washtub size. The registration gals received magnum-sized champagne. Mary Lindsey and I received silver wine coolers, and Michael received a special award. I really believe the out-of-town sailors all had a great experience and seemed to enjoy LCYC, and they promised to return. Waterline Systems has just completed a major refit, fairing and paint job on Santa’s Sleigh. Santa, like all our customers, has a serious need for speed. While Santa was in our shop, he agreed to deliver J/22 parts in his annual roundthe-world trip. He looks jolly, but he’s a tough old bird. He demanded that we slash prices 15% for the holiday season. Knowing the list he keeps, we couldn’t argue. So, until the end of the year, all J/22 parts are 15% off. Check your list and head for our website: www.waterlinesystems.com/Parts Have a great holiday, hope to see you at the midwinters U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 21 C a l e n d a r February 18-20 J/22 Midwinter Championship at Davis Island YC, Tampa, FL May 16-17 Jackrabbit Regatta at Canandaigua YC, Canandaigua, NY (www.j-22.windwhisper.org) June 16-20 J/22 World Championship at Fraglia Vela Riva, Lake Garda, Italy June 20-21 Cleveland Race Week One-Design at Edgewater YC, Cleveland, OH September 26-27 Lake George Open at the Lake George Club, Diamond Point, NY September 29-October 2 J/22 North American Championship at Rush Creek YC, Heath, TX October 7-10 Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship at Rochester YC, Rochester, NY February 2010 J/22 Midwinter Championship at Southern YC, New Orleans, LA (exact dates TBA) September 2010 J/22 North American Championship at Buffalo, YC, Buffalo, NY (exact dates TBA) Submit your 2009 regatta schedule to the Class Office at [email protected]. 22 U n i t e d S t a t e s J / 2 2 Have a mess of things to sort out on your 22? We’ve We’ve got got all all things things and more! 1,2,4,6,7,8,10,11,12,13 Photo Jeremiah Tamagna-Darr/timwilkes.com ... at the 2008 Worlds were powered by full North inventories. 2008 World Champion Greg Fisher flying the North Full Radial Spinnaker. A time to sail... ... a time to save! If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to buy a new North sail, that time is now. Whether you need a fast and durable North mainsail, jib or spinnaker for your J/22, now is when North Sails’ pricing is at its BEST. Don’t wait... contact your North J/22 expert today. When performance matters, head North. ONE DESIGN CHESAPEAKE Greg Fisher (410) 212-4916 [email protected] Allan Terhune (410) 280-3617 [email protected] ONE DESIGN RHODE ISLAND Will Welles ( 401) 683-7997 [email protected] www.OneDesign.com All About One Design Sailing