J/111 Wins North Sea Regatta

(Scheveningen, Netherlands)- The Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta in Scheveningen had a brilliant start on Friday, May 25 under a clear blue sky with more than 250 yachts ready to go racing. The sailing conditions were perfect, although the strong, gusty northeasterly played many tricks on the sailors. With gusts up to 27 knots, there was a lot of damage to several boats-- sails torn, genakers and spinnakers blown out, big shots broke booms and blocks ripped off decks!  Yes, a lot of carnage on day one, but a lot of fun sailing for those who could handle the spectacular, sunny conditions.  However, the perfect conditions persisted for just one more day, with the last day being "fogged out" with little wind for any of the fleets.  In the end, John Van der Starre's J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER dominated IRC 2/3 Class.  In the J/22s, it was Kolleman Wouter's team that ran away with top honors.  And, in the J/24 class it was Erik Jeuring's team that also ran away with the gold.

For the first day on the IRC 2/3 course, the gang on the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER made it known they were going to be a factor in their twenty-one boat class, by far the largest and most competitive offshore class at the North Sea Regatta.  XCENTRIC's skipper John Van der Starre immediately led the team to two bullets today. Co-captain Robin Verhoef said, "We had some dangerous situations at times.  We hit 13-15 kts at times as we simply flew away from the rest of our fleet.  We practiced a lot in April at the SPI Ouest Regatta in La Trinite-sur-Mer and learned a lot. There we sailed one-design class and we learned how to be more competitive and much faster sailing against other J/111s.  We discovered the very subtle differences, e.g. in the settings of the mast and the boat and sails to extract maximum performance.  It helped us a lot!"

For the J/22 class, it was a day with more and less wind pressure across the course. In a field of eleven J/22's, Kolleman Wouter's team ran the table, getting two first places.  It was difficult sailing, especially because sometimes the waves came from all sides. "It was a sloshing wave," says Kolleman. "This increased the difficulty. We do like a lot of wind, so we had no problems. But because he always had massive changes in wind strength, you had a lot of pressure and then suddenly no pressure. Usually we sail on inland lakes, but we are quite used to power sailing."

After the first day of sailing, it was quite the festive closing.  Entertaining musical performances by the bands "Kissing the Girl" and the "Crazy Pianos" with great spinning of disks by "DJ Ruben" later in the evening.  The sailors played late into the night enjoying the beautiful weather and a festive atmosphere.

The second day of inshore races were characterized by nearly perfect sailing conditions.  There was less wind than the day before, so there was less damages too! During the day the wind averaged 5-15 kts and was very shifty.  For the offshore classes, the second day was traditionally an offshore course around the buoys.  But, with lighter wind conditions that could die-off, the RC decided to hold only inshore races around the buoys.

For IRC 2/3, the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER continued to dominate their class.  And in the one-designs, the J/22s saw Wouter's J/22 team rattle off a few more firsts to also consolidate their lead.  And, in the J/24 class, Erik Jeuring also posted some more firsts to extend their lead in their fleet.

One of the highlights of the second day was the J-Class RAINBOW visiting Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta.  This forty-meter classic sloop went sailing Sunday, May 27th with guests from the Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta.

On the final day of sailing, the shores were dense with fog hanging over the Hague without a breath of wind, forcing the RC to cancel sailing for the day.  As a result, the regata results for the first two days that included seven races counted for the final results.  Congratulations go out to the J/22 team of Wouter and the J/24 team of Jeuring for near perfect scores, winning their classes by significant margins.  Congratulations also go out to a phenomenal performance by the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER team led by John Van de Starre and Robin Verhoef, winning the most competitive IRC division by a whopping 10.5 points, counting five 1sts in their scoreline.  Kudos also to the J/109 CAPTAIN JACK sailed by Bert Visser.  For more North Sea Regatta 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.

  

Beautiful Easter J/22 Weekend

Van Uden Reco Regatta Had Great Sailing
(Stellendam, The Netherlands)- It was a nice Easter weekend. It was perhaps late this year but 3 years ago there was so much snow on Easter that a snowman in the garden could be made. Shorts and sun this weekend were must-haves during the Van Uden Reco in Stellendam.

The predictions were very mixed. A sleepy start for the day was very welcome. For those who tried to sail to the line it was hard, a paddle worked nicely! The first couple of hours before the race the RC had a challenging time to determine which way to set the starting line and the first windward leg. The postponement flag was interspersed with lots of class flags.  The J/22 started a contest that was canceled halfway through. Around 1500 hrs the wind suddenly began to fill. The gradient wind for that matter that came from the north east. So there were two hazards for us today.  One, the overheating of many heads hanging and bobbing in the sun, which the cool breeze helped blow away. Second, was the wind!  Time for concentration. It remained difficult to sail with the thin and unstable winds. An abbreviation of the last race at the leeward mark caused a surprising turn. After two races GILL was the first racing team with 3 points, second was ENG 1385 and third ENG 1591.

Sunday there was more stable wind than on Saturday. After some delay there were two more races. Around 1400 hrs the sea breeze cam in nicely.  The race track had to be moved.  But, because there was no time limit in the SI's, all the folks at home who were waiting to celebrate Passover would just have to wait a little longer!  After a whole day of re-shuffling among the top three after 6 races the final score as follows: first was NED 1385 STRIPES,  second was ENG 1591 sailed by Henry Wouter Kollman and third was ENG 1141 GILL RACING Team sailed by Marieke Poulie.   For more J/22 Netherlands sailing class information.

  

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.   

Trophee Banque Populaire Atlantique III- J/22 Sailing France

J/22s Having Fun in France
(Nantes, France)- The weekend started out nicely with a good wind from the ENE, plenty of sun and a lot of enthusiasm from the fleet to go racing.  As anticipated, it was going to be a battle between the EUROPEAN HOMES and SOFFE.  But the weather, the crazy conditions and the other teams had something to say about how this would all end up for the regatta's top positions.

After facing challenging sailing conditions all weekend, it was the team of Bernard Andre, Pascale Andre and Remi Nobileau aboard MAJIC that triumphed against the leading teams with a strong series of 1-2-11 to win with a high point score of 31.75 points.  Second was the team led by Emmanuel Bollore on DELFINA with a 2-4-5-2 for 23 points on high point.  Third was SOFFE sailed by Claire Pouteau with a strong record of 5-1-2-6 and just missing second place by 3/4 point, getting 22.25 points overall.  Antoine Royne and crew aboard EUROPEAN HOMES had to settle for fourth place with a 4-3-4-3 record for 22 points.  Imagine that, a 2nd in the last race for Antoine and crew on EUROPEAN HOMES may have netted them at least a 2nd place!   

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.   

J/22 Travemunder Woch Regatta

JABBADABBADOO Wins The Party!

(Travemunder, Germany)- in the first weekend of August, the J/22 German class hosted their renowned Travemunder Woche Party--- er, sailing regatta.  Here's an amusing story from Team JABBADABBADOO that hail from the Netherlands J/22 fleet, daring to venture across the border, trailer their boat after the J/22 Worlds to parts unknown up north where different tribes of J/22 sailors lurk, awaiting in the shallows to launch an ambush on unsuspecting sailors who haven't cracked a smile in weeks (if not years!).  Here's JABBADABBADOO's report-

"From all the German J/22 sailors, we had heard that we had to go to the Travemunder Woche to party and sail this huge event. So nicely convinced by them, we packed our JABBADABBADOO! and went to Germany!

We even convinced our favorite German sailor to join us (and even more important) to train us- "Welcome on board of the JABBADABBADOO Mssr. Falko! And training we needed, from rigging to trimming to maneuvers.

The first day brought wind, a lot of wind-- our cowboy attitude in hoisting the spinnaker was instantly punished-- we broached big-time, and we went swimming (a complete Stan and half a Nadine), "J down for the count", we're in the water, but Falko was already at the spinnaker halyard, rescuing us, our J/22 and keeping our third place in the race! Lessons learned-- release the spinnaker, don't panic, and enjoy the ride, the J will be up in 20 seconds!

With a third and a ninth place we were completely happy with that day, having already exceeded all our expectations. Time to celebrate with all the other J sailors on board the beautiful four-masted ship PASSAT and later for cocktails and music to the Travemunder Party (all promises proved true-- it is an excellent place to sail AND to party)!

Two more days ahead and we started the second day again with more wind than predicted (but thankfully a bit less than the day before). After a 5th place (involving some more swimming crew-members) we went on with a steep learning curve, leading to an incredible (for us) second and first place in our J/22.

We celebrated this in all forms at the end of this day with a BBQ organised by the class association (yummmy, such nice Bratwurste) and well deserved German beer!

The third racing day brought no wind and we could just enjoy the sail (and tow back).

It was such a great weekend, a superb party, a fantastic sail and even more important great company on our boat, but also on shore with all the other J/22 sailors!

And we know that we have so much to "thank" Falko who coached us perfectly and proved to us that our boat can be fast and point! The race results were great, but the learning curve thanks to Falko's training was much more important to us. Thank you!"  Most respectfully, Team JABBADABBADOO- Nadine Fritz, Audrey Paterson, Stan Heltzel und Falko Braun- pictured here.  Team website- http://jabbadabbadoo.eu/   For more Travemunde Woch Regatta sailing information.
  

Dutch Sweep J/22 Worlds

Bol's Quantum Racing Holland Is Champion

(The Hague, Holland- July 5)-  Yesterday the Henri Lloyd J/22 Worlds The Hague came to an end. Only 1 missed race on the last day because of light winds on Saturday morning. It was a beautiful series with a happy champion.  Nic Bol and his crew Dennis Goethart, Janneke Hin and Marije Kampen of the Quantum Racing team had a great series. Here is their story about the last race day:

"After four days of excellent racing, close competition and no single race behind schedule, Saturday morning turned out to be different. With two more races to go, the starting vessel kept us in the harbour after reporting zero knots of wind on the North Sea. When the first breeze appeared, the fleet was towed out the harbour and the committee began the starting sequence for race 13 as soon as possible. For us, leading number two in the fleet by only three points, the nerves began to grow. Starting in these light conditions was for sure the least wanted option. No way we could control anyone in the race, we just had to sail our own and be positive we would end it well.

With the wind dying within ten minutes before the start, the race committee called the race off to wait for better wind. And it came. About 8-9 knots of breeze helped us through the last and decisive race of the Henri Lloyd J22 Worlds 2010. Ever since we were black flagged on the first day of the championships, we held back on the starting line avoiding any risk. But today, with our opponents so close behind us, we had to do a little bit more. Our margin was a top 13 finish and no more than two places behind the team of Eelco Blok, who was currently ranked 2nd. We decided to put pressure on his team and start close to him so we would start the race in the same area. The teams of John den Engelsman (3rd) and Ronald Veraar (4th), as well as Eelco's team all chose the left side of the starting line. With the current coming from the right, we stayed above the others and we could see in the race how rich the right people got and how poor the boats on the left. This was also due to a shift to the right. We stayed sort of in the middle, stealing the goodies from the right but for sure stay in close contact to the left side of the course where our opponents were. At the top mark we were placed 13th with only the team of John den Engelsman three boats ahead of us. We were in control of the title, though on the very edge. We started focussing more on our own race and gained little by little. We came in 8th at the second top mark and we only had a reach towards the finish line ahead of us because of the strong current coming form the side. YES! YES! YES! We started breathing again and immediately after the finish Nic jumped overboard, celebrating his long wished J/22 world title.

Looking back, we had a terrific week of sailing with 13 beautiful races. We would like to thank the race committee, the J/22 organization and J/22 class for their perfect job. As for us, we have enjoyed the races very much. They were both exciting and challenging due to ever changing conditions and a great competitors fleet. Last but not least, congratulations to the team of Michel Miltenburg who won the final race."

Second overall was Eelco Blok sailing TEAM KESBEKE with 56 points and third overall was John den Engelsman sailing HENRI LLOYD with 56 points.  Top French boat was Patrick Huet sailing EUROPEAN HOMES in 19th and top German boat was Christian Rieckborn sailing JOLLY JUMPER to 21st overall.    For J/22 Worlds sailing results       Sailing Photo credits: De Venster