It only seems like yesterday that George Barker was showing us all where we were going wrong during the training day in early March and yet here we are in December at the end of another great J/105 year.

IRC events 

The highlight this year had to be Oscar Mead aged 19 completing the Ostar in King of Shaves (ex Juneau). The wonders of modern communication: my daughter e mailed Oscar when he was somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic and got an almost immediate reply.

 RORC - Fastnet Race: 

A generally light airs affair tested stamina and patience but:

“Addictive, roll on 2010” – James Heald (Flawless J)

“Would do it again tomorrow” – Nick Martin (Diablo J)

“In all, an interesting and challenging but comfortable race, ignoring the fact that not a single celestial body was seen in four days due to the pea soup conditions. – Rod Knowles (Juliette)

RORC overall 

As usual J105’s have done well overall in the RORC season:

Simon Curwen (Voador) – second IRC2 and second two handed division.

Nick Martin (Diablo J) – fourth overall IRC and fifth in the two handed. Nick actually missed out on an even higher position or even possibly first when his forestay broke in the last race of the year, to Cherbourg. They saved the rig but could only limp in to finish well down the fleet.

Rod Knowles (Juliette) – seventh two handed

Royal Southampton Yacht Club 

Andy Hill (Only Just) came second in IRC1 in the biannual Biscay Challenge, from The Solent to Hondarribia in the Basque region of Northern Spain.

Three Peaks Yacht Race  

Chris Jones and the team on Journeymaker sadly did not win the Three Peaks Yacht Race again this year. I understand that it was a generally windless race with lots of rowing!

One Design Events 

The Traveller Trophy 

This is the trophy awarded to the boat that does the best overall in the one design events with the RTIOW counting double. It is so named because those who travel to all the events stand more chance of winning but we do bring in discards to only count the best 24 out of the 30 races. The results show that Fay J (Paul Griffiths) has won the trophy, for the third year in a row, followed by Journeymaker (Chris Jones) with Java (Rob Dornton-Duff) third and Voador (Simon Curwen) fourth. The results will be on the web site soon.

 The real stars of this year have to be Java whose racing this year has been somewhat curtailed by the arrival of Rob’s daughter but who still managed to win the Spring Series and the J Cup. 

Spring Series 

A great start to the season saw some amazingly close, classic one design racing. Five races were held in the series with four different boats winning individual races: Java (Rob Dornton-Duff) won two with Voador (Simon Curwen), Only Just (Andy Hill) and Journeymaker (Chris Jones) winning one each. The series was eventually won by Java on seven points followed by Fay-J (Paul Griffiths) nine points and Voador ten points.

Round the Island Race – 20 June 

Where was everybody? Only six J/105’s (including Jus a J, a French boat over for the day) appeared for what was quite a trying day, with the raft up of all raft up’s off Bembridge Ledge. Flawless J (James Heald) found his way around the mess to be the first J/105 home followed by Fay J, then Jelly Baby (William Newton) and then Jeopardy (Richard Watney).

National Championships – 4/5 July 

The Class Association ran their own “do it yourself”, credit crunch busting Nationals at the RAF Yacht Club, supported by North Sails

 Nine J105’s took part over eight windward/leeward races over the two days, with race organisation superbly managed by Race with Condor.com. After an early morning shower on both Saturday and Sunday the weather was fantastic, mostly sunny with a building south easterly on Saturday from 6 to 14 knots and a south westerly on Sunday, peaking at 20 knots in the final two races of the day.

The racing was close: classic, unbeatable one design racing at its best. Four boats won individual races: Fay J (Paul Griffiths) three, Java (Rob Dornton-Duff) two, Jelly Baby (William Newton) two and Diablo J (Nick Martin) one. After seven of the eight races Jelly Baby and Fay J were equal first with 13 points each, so everything hinged on the final race of the series. This race saw an incredibly close finish with seven of the nine boat fleet arriving at the final leeward mark virtually together with the result in doubt right up to the finish. In the event Jelly Baby prevailed, winning the race and the series.

J Cup, Torbay – 20/22 August

With eleven boats the J/105 fleet was easily the second largest in the overall event, dominated of course by the J/109’s. It was generally windy, windy, windy racing in a superb location. Java (Rob Dornton-Duff) were on top form winning easily from Jeopardy (Richard Watney) second and Jelly Baby (William Newton) third on count back from Journeymaker (Chris Jones)

Garmin Hamble Winter Series 

A disappointing turn-out of only four boats for most of the races saw the J/105’s lose their own start which in the end did not matter much since in all the races the J/105’s were well clear of the rest of the Class 3 boats (massed Sigma 38’s) by the first mark.

Despite the poor turn-out the series saw some more classic, close one design racing. Just to show how close the whole thing was, prior to the final race three boats were only separated by one point in the overall standings: Journeymaker (Chris Jones), Voador (Simon Curwen) and Fay J (Paul Griffiths). The last race on Sunday 29 November saw the strongest winds I have ever raced in, inshore, with lots of damage and retirements (gusting 45 knots). At the end of it all Fay J emerged the series winner with Voador second and Journeymaker third. 

There is no question that the fleet is getting ever more competitive. All three leading boats won two races each with Fay J only winning overall because they were slightly more consistent. Jolene was undoubtedly the boat who made the most progress during the series. They just have to learn how to go downhill as well as they go upwind and they will be one of the teams to look out for. Roll on 2010!

Boats / Owners 

Chris Tibbs has bought Taika and plans to do the Round Britain & Ireland.

Richard Wevill has bought Bojangles (ex Atao), to be based in the River Yealm.

Slingshot was acquired during the year by Stuart Gow and Richard Cashmore. We hope to see them out racing with the rest of us next year (they do not know what they are missing!)

The following boats are for sale: Jambalaya and Jumanji are being marketed by Key Yachts. Mary Sturgess is ideally looking for a partner for Jaldi and I believe that King of Shaves (Juneau) is also for sale following her Atlantic escapades. I hope that all these boats find new homes soon and that they join us out on the race course. 

Plans for 2010 – already being arranged!! (dates for the diary) 

Training Day, 13 March - a repeat of the 2009 event that was enjoyed by all. George Barker will be out on the water again in the North Sails rib (thanks again to James Knight)

The Warsash Spring Series starts on 14 March. Discounted entry fees until 19 February. Having had a very disappointing entry for the Winter Series it is vital that we get ten or more entries for the Spring Series. Losing our own start would be a catastrophe.

J Cup, Royal Southern Yacht Club, 3-5 June – I know I keep banging on about this but it really is one of the best events of the year.

National Championships at the Dartmouth Royal Regatta, August 26-29:

This is now a DEFINITE with money being spent. A formal NOR will be sent out soon but just as a taster:

• Indications are that we could get 15 boats – how cool is that!
• Saturday night cruise up the River Dart, returning in time to watch the fireworks, from the best place in town, the middle of the river.
• The Red Arrows – now with a girl in the team
• Two races a day (with our own starts of course)
• Dartmouth gets booked very quickly – get your accommodation booked soon
• We need to find £1,000 of sponsorship plus the normal entry fee – I will be making a nuisance of myself in the new year..

More one-design racing – the plan is to try to have our own starts during two or more of the Royal Southern Summer Series regattas. Possible just on the Saturday rather than both days (like the J/109’s do). Watch this space. I know I said this last year but this year we will do it if we can get the support.

The web site – is about to have a re-vamp, thanks to Any Dennis (Orijin).

Conclusion 

It is vital that we have a strong, vibrant Class Association. It is only by lots of us participating in our events that we can generate news articles that will help maintain a high resale value for our “investments” – in the final analysis that is the only way to measure the success or otherwise of the Class Association. It just helps of course that we can also have great fun messing about in boats.

Finally, may I wish you an enjoyable time over the Christmas and New Year break and good sailing in 2010. I hope to see some of you at the boat show, late night opening on Thursday 14 January – meet in the bar at 1900 hours.

Paul Griffiths – 3 December 2009

Winter very definitely arrived for the final race of this year’s winter series – hail storms and vicious squalls gusting to 45 knots! The decision whether or not to race must have been a tough call but the nasty weather came in much earlier than expected. I understand that 25% of the very depleted fleet retired with another significant number finishing under headsails alone.

In the J/105 fleet four boats came to the start line with three of them only separated by one point in the overall standings: Journeymaker (Chris Jones), Voador (Simon Curwen) and Fay J (Paul Griffiths). With a wind from 200 degrees the start was by Fastnet Insurance with a beat to Daks on the Island shore. The race started in a “benign” 25 knots with Jolene (Ivan Trotman) initially leading the way from Fay J with Voador suffering with a crew shortage and Journeymaker some way behind. The first squall hit as the leading boats were closing the first mark where Fay J took a decisive lead, probably benefiting from the choice of a no 4 jib making 40 odd knots just about manageable. Fay J then hoisted a fractional kite and disappeared further into the distance, perfectly under control with boats from other classes broaching all around them. What a great boat the J/105 is!

After several more windward, leeward legs, finally finishing at Air Canada in another 45 knot squall, Fay J finished some five minutes ahead of Jolene, to win the series overall, followed by Voador. Journeymaker sadly had to retire at the end of the first leg with a shredded main.

Overall a very profitable day for the sail makers! Maybe the series should be renamed the North Sails Winter Series!

The final series standings:

First                             Fay J                            11 points

Second                         Voador                                    14 points                     

Third                            Journeymaker               15 points

Fourth                          Jolene                           18 points

There is no question that the fleet is getting ever more competitive. All three leading boats won two races each with Fay J only winning overall because they were slightly more consistent. Jolene was undoubtedly the boat who made the most progress during the series. They just have to learn how to go downhill as well as they go upwind and they will be one of the teams to look out for. Roll on 2010.

After the hurricane on Saturday Sunday was a glorious day, marred only by one vicious shower. The four J/105's that started with class 3 faced a shifty south westerly of between 12 and more tha 20 knots with a wind over tide chop plus some sea left over from the storm the previous day.

The course was set between Fastnet Insurance and West Ryde Middle. At the start Fay J (Paul Griffiths) was called over and returned. No easy task surrounded by massed Sigma's, it seemed to take an age. By the first windward mark the other three J/105's were in close order led by Voador (Simon Curwen) then Journeymaker (Chris Jones) then Jolene (Ivan Trotman) with Fay J catching up fast benefitting from a clear race track. At the first leeward mark all four J/105's had broken clear of the rest of the class 3 boats with the first three still very close and Fay J continuing to slowly close the gap.

On the penultimate beat Fay J managed to get past Jolene and then drama as Voador lost a man (actually a girl) overboard at the windward mark. A few seconds behind Fay J stayed well clear hanging around to see if any help was needed which gave Journeymaker a clear run to the finish and enabled Jolene to catch up again but Fay J pulled ahead again on the beat to the finish.

Once again great, action packed one design racing. Those of you with your feet up on a Sunday morning just do not know what you are missing. After six races, now with a discard Fay J leads the series by one point from Journeymaker and Voador. How close is that with two races left.