J/22 Sundance Cup Regatta- Girlz Rule!

Annie Get Yer Guns!

(Fort Worth, Texas- Mar 16-20)-  Long-time J sailor Annie Gardner Nelson recently attended the Sundance Cup racing J/22s out of the Fort Worth Boat Club.  Here's here amusing report: "The 2010 Sundance Cup was hosted by the St Worth Boat Club and sailed on the club's fleet of matching J/22's.  This year the event was preceded with a 2 day clinic run by WIMRA (Women's International Match Racing Assoc)  Director Liz Baylis and assisting her was Kirsten Lane of Sausalito, CA.   Baylis did an excellent job of balancing drills with chalk talks and on the water coaching.

Skippers were invited based on ISAF ranking and/or resume and 7 teams from across the country and Canada attended with many teams using at least one Texan to fill the boat.  My team was all Texan other than me and boy did I learn some funny jokes and accents!  Anyone who was there will fondly remember my bowchick Kritter who wore camouflage pants, hockey shirts, and had us all in stitches at meetings and on the water.

Race day one was extremely light and the FWBC they were only able to complete 4 flights.  Day 2 the storm was coming and by mid day the wind increased with puffs to 20 so the no spinnaker rule came into play.  Even without kites the racing was fun and intense as match racing is always about constant action. Day three a snow storm was close by, and with wind gusts hitting 29 knots the RC and OA decided to abandon any further racing. The results went back to the round robin scores, and the winners were Maegan Ruhlman 1st, Katy Lovell 2nd, and Liz Hyorth 3rd.  With a day off, the girls went shopping and watched as the snow flurries hit the ground.  The awards dinner saw several crews wearing cowgirl hats which stayed on all the way through the night while we rode bulls and danced to Travis Twitt at his concert at the famous Billy Bobs's in downtown Ft. Worth.  Texas will never be the same! Yeehaw!  Annie Nelson"  Photo Credits: Cindy Cady  

J/22 Midwinters Won by Fisher

(New Orleans, LA- Mar 14)- Greg Fisher secured a victory at the J/22 Midwinter Championship, beating his closest competition by 10 points.  Sailing with wife Jo Ann, daughter Martha and Jeff Eiber, the team sealed the standings with a bullet in Sunday's first race.  They finished with 29 points, followed by John Loe (39), Max/Jake Scott (64), Chris Doyle and Glenn Darden (tied with 67).  Conditions on Lake Pontchartrain were beautiful for the regatta's conclusion, with winds about 7-8 knots, clear skies and warm temperatures.  After Fisher won the first race, Flip Wehrheim won the final race of the regatta. 

Greg Fisher moved to the front of the fleet on Day 2 of the J/22 Midwinter Championship at Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, LA. With 25 points after seven races (one discard), Fisher leads second-place Jeff Todd (32 points), John Loe (33) and Max/JakeScott and Travis Odenbach (tied with 38). Sustained winds at 20 knots and large waves tested the 39 teams on Saturday. Multiple wipe-outs plagued the fleet on Lake Pontchartrain, including several equipment malfunctions and crew injuries. By the day's third race, nearly half of the fleet had returned to the dock. Conditions calmed down for the regatta conclusion on Sunday. Saturday's race winners were Max/Jake Scott who got two bullets and Jeff Todd who won the sixth race.  Full J/22 Midwinters results and sailing information.  

J/22 Fun- Cayman Islands Commodore's Cup

(Cayman Islands- Jan. 16-17)- The government of the Cayman Islands must be doing a few things right.  Hard to imagine how this island nation (comprised mostly of service industries like international banks and offshore trusts) were compelled to honor their heritage as a nation by having school children learn the sport of sailing.  And, as part of that initiative work with local sailors to create a fabulous sailing center accessible by all.  Amongst the fleet at the CISC National Sailing Centre are a raft of dinghies and a fleet of J/22s sailing in those gorgeous crystal clear waters. 

This years edition of the Commodore's Cup was a closely fought affair.  In the end, despite having four firsts in seven races, the COMPASS team sailed by Mr. Farrington barely squeaked by with a win over Hanson's FORTIS.  FORTIS sailed a remarkably consistent series to finish tied for first with COMPASS with eleven points.  But, after a drop race FORTIS lost the tie-breaker on who-beat-who more times.  Third on the podium was Johnson racing YAHOO!, accumulating seventeen points after six races.

Of note, there will be a J/22 Invitational International Regatta with 12 J/22s starting on the outer course Saturday 13th March. It’s going to be busy out there on North Sound!   For more Cayman Island J/22 Sailing information.