Loos Wins Cooling Down Regatta

JAMAICAS KRONJUWEL Wins J/22 Euro-League
(Braassermermeer, Netherlands)- Fourteen teams gathered for the weekend of sailing that constitutes one of the end of the season regattas for the Benelux J/22 sailing circuit.

The fleet was greeted on Saturday with 2-4 m/sec winds and, somewhat prophetically, it started to rain at the start line on the Braassemermeer. On Saturday the wind was moderate and very shifty.  Sunday dawned no better.  Sunday it was pretty uncomfortable outside. Said Thomas Hanf, "instead of using the alarm, we were awakened by pounding rain on the roof of our VW bus."  Such was the weekend for the real "Cooling Down Regatta".

After eight races in total, the final victory went to the VERFPAGINA.NL Team led by Gaston Loos and his team with an amazing tally of two 4ths and six consecutive 1sts for total of 14 pts.  A dominating performance it was. However, the battle for the balance of the podium was anything but simple exercise of sailing around the course.  The next three boats were all essentially tied going into the last race!  For each start, for every mark-rounding, for every tack, set and gybe, the three teams all fought "tooth & nail" to scratch-out the best possible finish every race.  In the end, second was the team of Reinhold Gross with his German team aboard JAMAICAS KRONJUWEL with a steady scoreline of 7-7-3-3-2-3-4-3 for 32 points, just one point ahead of his rivals.  Third and fourth were determined on a tie-breaker by two Benelux teams.  Taking third place was Jean-Michel Lautier and his team with a 1-3-2-4-5-8-2-8 for 33 pts.  At the short-end of that stick was Ivo Jeukens taking fourth with a 2-1-5-2-6-5-8-4 for 33 pts.  Rounding out the top five was Haka with 46 pts.

As a result of this regatta, perhaps the most significant victory went to Reinhold Gross and crew on JAMAICAS KRONJUWEL, taking the overall 2012 Euro-League for the J/22s in Europe.  Congratulations to the Jamaica-loving crew led by Reinhold!  Perhaps an invitation to the "real" Jamaica to sail off Montego Bay is on order for this crew!  For more J/22 Cooling Down and Euro-League sailing information

J/22 Micro-scale Models!

* J/22 Scale Model Size of a Quarter?  Amazing.  It's beyond comprehension how artist/ modelers can do the proverbial "ship-in-the-bottle" and have it come out looking so cool and in such detail.  Nevertheless, artist/ modeler Ric Skinner managed to do this for a J/22 with next to no information, other than pictures and drawings found around the Internet.  Said Ric, "Your readers may be interested in this. For my son’s 30th birthday I scratch-built (no plans, no kit) a 1:176 scale model of J/22 #1078. I used what J/22 photos I could find on the Internet, a couple very basic profile and deck plan views. I would like to make another J/22 at a larger scale with more detail.  My son Greg recently purchased J/22 #1078 with 2 other guys. They’ve been racing in the J/World Annapolis Thursday night races. I’m not a sailor, but have a keen interest in the sport. My hobby is normally building 18th & 19th century wooden ships & boats."  So, for any of you J/22 sailors who want a fun, quick easy model of your boat as a Christmas tree ornament, or perhaps a more formal version, please don't hesitate to contact Ric Skinner on email.

Kok Wins Tough J/22 Spring Cup

(Medemblik, The Netherlands)- Medemblik, a picturesque small town on the IJsselmeer Sea in The Netherlands, is considered the Mecca of Dutch sailing. It's a fun place to sail, can be very challenging, and the weather never seems to be what it's supposed to be!  Sometimes gorgeous, sunny, sublime with gentle breezes, other days freezing cold, blowing dogs off chains and raining hailstones.

This year's event presented the schizophrenic nature of sailing on the Ijselmeer.  After a long period of rainy weekends and winds, the weekend of the Spring Cup was forecast (almost promised!) to be a nice weekend with lots of sunshine and moderate winds.  But,  Saturday saw something different. It was cold on the water and there was a fair wind in the chilly rainfall. However, three races to sail, lots of action and plenty of warm drink kept the crews working hot and furiously.  After the races the sun finally came out, it was time to dry out, jump into the wonderful hot tubs and relax.  Then, a large group of J/22 sailors all had dinner at the Pizzeria La Grotta (a locals favorite hangout) to eat the delicious pizza pies by the pound!

The forecast for Sunday was a very gentle breeze. During the first two races there were lots of wind shifts and pressure differences on the race track. From "hero to zero" and vice versa was the rule of the day. After six races, it was clear the "local hero" with places of 1-1-1-6-2-1 was Ivo Kok with 12 points.  Showing how strongly the German J/22 teams have evolved over time, much like their J/24 and J/80 one-design teams, Reinhold Grob managed to sail a very strong series to amass a 2-2-3-1-6-2 record for just 16 pts.  Third was Jean-Michel Lautier sailing to a 3-5-2-2-3-5 score for 20 pts.  Rounding out the top five were two other Netherlands teams, Ivo Jeaukems in fourth with 27 pts just edging out Dirkjan Verdoorn with 29 pts for fifth.   For more J/22 Netherlands Spring Cup sailing information   For more J/22 Germany sailing information

North Sea Regatta Sailing Preview

(The Hague, Netherlands)- Many teams are entered in the upcoming Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta in The Hague, The Netherlands, which starts next week with the "Vuurschepen Race". About 400 yachts will be participating in the three separate events of the Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta.

On Tuesday May 15th the Vuurschepen Race from Scheveningen to Harwich, England will start at 1900 hours. This offshore race of 110 nautical miles is the opening race of the week-long event. The route across the North Sea has been slightly modified to include sailing away (out and around) from the enormous windmill farms off the English coast.  After the finish, the sailors will enjoy a day of rest in Harwich, hosted by the Royal Harwich Yacht Club in Woolverstone. On Ascension Day the sailors enjoy lunch in the pub often used by ancient smugglers along the coast- The "Butt and Oyster" at Pin Mill.  After much camaraderie and reveling in past sea stories, the sailors will then hop aboard again and go back across "La Manche" (the Channel) in the RORC North Sea Race back to Holland on Friday May 18th. One of The Netherlands top offshore sailors, John van de Starre, will be sailing the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER in both events in IRC2 Class.

In the Pentecost weekend from May 25th to 28th 2012 more than 400 teams will race just of the coast of Scheveningen. Different classes will attend, including a good field of J/22s and J/24s as well as an IRC Class for the North Sea Regatta.  In IRC will be the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER participating in the third portion of the event.   For more Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta sailing information

Veraar Wins J/22 Spring Cup

(Medemblik, Netherlands)- In Medemblik, the Dutch Mecca of sailing, the Royal Yacht Club Hollandia hosted nineteen J/22s for the annual Spring Cup. The regatta was blessed with good breeze and good weather for the two days.  On the first day, the fleet saw winds form the west at Force 5 to 7!!  Holy smokes, that's honking, baby!  On Sunday, the wind shifted to the northwest with winds still in the Force 5 to 7 scale, with enormous wind shifts to punish the fleet mercilessly!  Needless to say, there were a LOT of sore muscles after this series of six races!

The team of Ronald Veraar sailed a strong series to win by only one point over the team of Eelco Blok.  Ronald's scores of 2-2-1-1-4-2 were just good enough to beat Eelco's strong start of a 1-1-2-2-6-1 for 13 points.  Wouter Kollman sailed consistently but had to withstand a challenge from Murt Almat to finish third. Wouter's 4-4-3-5-3-3 scoreline for 22 pts was more consistent than Murat's scores of 5-5-7-4-2-4 for 27 points who finished fourth.  Fifth was Misja Adamczyk with a score of 8-6-15-6-1-6 for 47 points.

On Saturday night, the J/22 teams were treated to a wonderful evening of food, drink, and music.  Perhaps more importantly, during this evening by Floris Toetenel passed the gavel of J/22 Netherlands leadership to Diana Kroo, the new "boss" of J/22s in the Netherlands (pictured here).  For more J/22 Netherlands sailing information

  

J/22 Netherlands Promote Student Sailing-

A new J/22 team sailed the Van Uden Reco Regatta this year off The Hauge, in The Netherlands.  For the first time the Groningen Student Sailing Association MAYDAY sailed in the J/22 class regatta that starts the season. This new team of students in the class will sail their J/22 called MAYDAY all season. For G.S.Z. MAYDAY it will represent a new challenge and a step forward in racing. Since 1994, this association for sailing has introduced many Groningen students to sailing. The J/22 is a logical step to continue growing. For the J/22 class, it means a new impetus, new faces, and refreshing new competition in the fleet.  It was clear their participation in the J/22 class was very enthusiastic and they will participate for the long-term in the class. A warm welcome to them and we hope to see more of them!   For more J/22 Netherlands sailing class information.

  

J/22 Warming Up Regatta

(Brassermeer, Netherlands)-  Every year the J/22 fleet that sailed on the big inland "sea" called the Brassermeer that border Germany and the Netherlands host two beginning and season ending events- appropriately called the "Warming Up" and the "Cooling Down" regatta.

Most teams arrive on Friday afternoon and rig by Saturday morning.  This year started off with a beautiful mill pond- water smooth as glass and reflecting all the clouds and sun perfectly!  By late afternoon, a mild thermal winds kicks in to start to move the boats.  Said one J/22 sailor, Thomas Gutenstein, "When a few small wind lines show on the water we go out - even if's no racing, just for fun, we sail a round. I am amazed how little we need to move the J!"  After three races, the teams retire back for dinner in the clubhouse.  Thomas continues, "we sit together with the four German teams, "talk shop" and end the day. Of the Dutch team, only the "Gill Racing Team" and part of the Regatta Committee is there. Most Dutch to operate the sailing as we go to the gym: Go there - Sports - have a beer or coffee and then again from home!"

After the races on Sunday with a total of four completed in the light wind conditions, all the crew puts their boats away and head for home.  The remarkable aspect of sailing in Europe is that teams can come from all over the Continent and get to the sailing area, literally, by plane, train and automobile in just a few hours or less.  Said Thomas, "by 1900, JAY-2-PLAY is ready to be towed home and Sophie and Martin are sitting in the train to Schiphol Airport, Martin flies to Frankfurt and Sophie takes the train to Hanover! Till next time!  Thomas."   For more J/22 sailing stories in the Netherlands.   

J/22 "Warm Up" Germany/ Holland

(Brassermeer Sea, The Netherlands)- The start of the J/22s in the 2011 season has traditionally been the "Warm Up" on the "big sea" (actually a lake).   In addition, the regatta is one of the first in the German standings, so most teams that want to be competitive for the season participate in the event, over twenty-one teams showed up for this year's event.

As one competitor remarked after the first day of racing, "at a dinner in the clubhouse, we sit together with the four German teams, "talk shop" and end the day. Of the Dutch teams, only the "GILL RACING TEAM" and part of the Regatta Committee is there. Most of the Dutch seem to operate in sailing like we go to the gym: Go there - Sports - have a beer or coffee and then go home!"  Too funny.

The first event took place under very mild conditions for the weekend. The forecast was sun, but not much wind. Saturday morning, all 23 teams, including four German boats, went out to test themselves for patience. Everyone drifted to the starting boat.  At about 1400 hours the wind came and eventually the fleet made ​​two starts. It was bizarre racing, with winds fluctuating from 2 to 6 knots and at least 30 degrees wind shifts.  At the end, it was SIKA TEAM first, HENRI LLOYD second and TEAM HELLY HANSEN third.  The day ended with a Happy Hour of the J22 class and a delicious dinner of Ron.

Sunday morning was even flatter than the day before.  After what seemed an eternity, the fleet finally gets in three races. SIKA TEAM with Ronald, Robert and Joost took all the loot.  All in all it was a beautiful weekend and the struggle for the season series champion is very much open and up for grabs.  For more J/22 Netherlands sailing information.   

Topsport Flanders Regatta Invites All J/One-Designs

J/22s, J/24s, J80s Invited
(Nieuwpoort, Belgium)- Every year the week of racing off Nieuwpoort brings great camaraderie and excellent competition. This year, the Topsport Flanders Week organizers are extending invitations to participate to all J/22, J/24 and J/80 sailors who wish to avail themselves to wonderful Belgian hospitality.  The regatta runs from July 2nd to 6th.  If you wish to participate in the competition, you can find all information here- http://www.nieuwpoortweek.be   

German J/22 Class BOOT-Dusseldorf Report

(Dusseldorf, Germany)- Much has happened at the Dusseldorf BOOT Show in 2011, a total of 250,500 visitors from 60 countries attended the Dusseldorf boat this year.  The German J/22 Class Association continues to grow in Germany, we're very committed and enthusiastic and participating one more time in this great Boat show brings us great exposure. In the class everyone is engaged, which is probably due to the structure of a large circle of friends and that helps to grow the class. And just as exciting, they were also on the exhibition and showed the interested visitors that "J/22 sailing” in our class association is a good choice.

The booth with a brand new J/22 and movies from the World Championships 2009 at Lake Garda was very nicely designed and attracted the visitors which came into the hall of the sailing center.  Everyone who sees the images of the J/22 fleet from Lake Garda is fascinated, those people we can’t help to find out how to go sailing on a J/22!

With the promotion of the "Marinepool European J/22 Championship" in 2011 in Travemünde Week, supported by “Dimension-Polyant” and “Marine pool”, visitors were able to enjoy and appreciate the beautiful J/22 but also recognize how strong the J/22 class is in Europe. So, whoever enjoys competitive sailing and is in a class of boat where the fleets in their regattas are decreasing, you're warmly welcomed in the J/22 Class Association!  The upward trend continues and the interest of attracting more and more sailors is increasing. And each of our members has a little part in it. Good prospects - right?"  To learn more about joining the J/22 Class sailing in Europe and America.