A “Wrong Way Around” race wrapped up sailing today at the four-day St. Barths Bucket Regatta, and it was more colorful and full of goodies than a child’s Easter basket. Thirty six superyachts in four classes (Grandes Dames, Mademoiselles, Gazelles and J Boats) circumnavigated the French West Indies island of St. Barths, giving Bucket fans on shore and at sea an awe-inspiring view of some of the largest and most beautiful and technologically advanced yachts sailing in the world today.

 

The race course, which covered 21 to 26.4 nautical miles (depending on the class), reversed Friday’s “Around the Island” journey and put boat handling skills to the test right off the bat with a downwind start. All but the J Boat class adhered to a “pursuit-style” racing format, requiring each yacht to time its run to the gun for a separate pre-determined start time and hoist a spinnaker as soon as possible after crossing the starting line — the theory being that if all crews in each class sailed equally well, aboard their varied yachts of different speeds, they would meet at the finish line all together.

 

The theory worked especially well today in the 18-20 knot breezes, with yachts barreling down on the finish line, drawn again by their giant spinnakers, within minutes – sometimes seconds — of each other.

 

In the Mademoiselles class, the 55 meter schooner Adela, built by Pendennis and helmed by Dennis Conner, maintained her regatta-long position at the top of the scoreboard with a second-place finish today. Adela was presented with the St. Barth’s Bucket trophy as the regatta’s overall winner. The 45 meter Dubois designed Salperton IV, skippered by Shirley Robertson with Cameron Appleton in the afterguard, won today’s race to claim second overall, while another Dubois design, the 50 meter Zefira, took third overall.

 

In the Grandes Dames class, the 48-meter Georgia, built by Alloy Yachts, claimed overall victory by crossing the finish line first in her class today. Georgia’s Captain Brent Daw said that his yacht, conceived as the ultimate family world cruiser, has seen many ocean miles since she splashed in 2000, thus she is going into the yard for a refit after the Bucket.

 

 

“We sailed steady and cautious like the hare and the turtle, and we were the steady turtle,” said Daw, who came aboard as skipper of the yacht only three months ago. He added that the crew had to sail intuitively, since the majority of them are new to the boat. “The team is more of an organic group, a mix, nationally, of South Africans and Kiwis,” he said explaining that Chris Dickson, of America’s Cup fame, is helming. “The owner lives on board and loves a great day on the water. He is thrilled!”

Claiming second place overall in this class, with a fourth today, was the 54 meter Perini Navi Parsifal III, while the 38 meter Axia, which was presented with both the All Star Crew Award and the Wolter Huisman Memorial Spirit of the Bucket Trophy at this regatta, finished third overall after posting a third for today. The winner of the Vitters Shipyard Seamanship Trophy was also from this class: the Perini Navi Zenji.

 

One of the biggest stories on the water today was in the Gazelles class, where the 45 meter Visione, the 38 meter Perini Navi P2, and the 30 meter Cape Arrow were all tied with six points going into today’s race. Trailing only one point behind was the Royal Huisman-built Unfurled, which won today’s race to upset the apple cart and claim overall victory in the class. P2, which took home the Perini Navi Cup, took second today to claim equal points (8) with Unfurled but conceded for a second-place finish overall, after tie-breaking rules were applied. Visione and Cape Arrow finished third and fourth overall, respectively.

 

This was a historic event for the J Class, as it was the first time five of them have graced the same starting line since 1937. Hanuman, built by Royal Huisman, proved unbeatable throughout the three days, winning handily over the line and on corrected time in the first two of three races held here. Today, Lionheart edged out Hanuman by just two seconds at the line, but Hanuman still prevailed on corrected time to leave Lionheart in second overall. Velsheda, Ranger and the Holland Jachtbouw built Rainbow followed in third through fifth places, respectively.

 

Winning the King’s 100 Guinea Cup for Thursday’s “extra day” race for J Boats at the Bucket was Hanuman. The top Corinthian J with an amateur owner/helmsman to win the Corinthian King’s Cup was Lionheart.

 

“The owner was thrilled,” said Bouwwe Bekking, who called tactics on Lionheart. “This was his fourth regatta ever, and he has done remarkably well. For today’s race, it was neck-and-neck with Hanuman after 26 miles. We knew that with them that close to us they would win, but we had to get our nose out there to win line honors. We loved that we got the gun.”

 

Bekking said that having the J Boats sailing fleet-style in their own group in the same regatta as the superyachts, which were sailing pursuit-style, worked perfectly. “It was great that we had our own start procession, it wouldn’t have worked any other way. To maneuver these boats is way harder, so the emphasis on safety is good. It was really incredible, and we owe a great thanks to the Bucket Committee and the J Class organization.”

 

Every year the Bucket Organization devotes a portion of its entry fees for a worthy cause in St. Barths. This year, a donation in the amount of 18,000 euros was made to the St. Barths Yacht Club Youth Sailing Program.

 

Next year’s event is scheduled for 27 – 30, March 2014

 

Results, Photos, Barby’s Blog and more http://www.bucketregattas.com

 Media Pro International’s Barby MacGowan is reporting daily from St. Barths.

Complete results, photos, Barby’s recaps and more: bucketregattas.com/stbarths/

Special Awards 

OVERALL WINNER of the 2013 ST BARTHS BUCKET          ADELA

 

 

SKULLDUGGERY CRAVAT WILD HORSES

ALLOY YACHTS TROPHY GEORGIA

ALL STAR CREW AWARD presented by Holland Jachtbouw AXIA

WOLTER HUISMAN MEMORIAL SPIRIT OF THE BUCKET TROPHY AXIA

PERINI NAVI CUP    P2

VITTER’S SHIPYARD SEAMANSHIP TROPHY     ZENJI

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“Main-mast staysail up. Do not unfurl. Raise your hands if you hear me.” Captain Tony Brookes calmly called his instructions into a hand-held from one of his dual on-deck navigation stations near the aft quarter of Athos, the 62 meter Hoek-designed Holland Jachtbouw that he commands. His crew with headsets faithfully obeyed, shooting their hands in the air before quickly jumping into action. So went the day that started with pouring rain and segued into one of the windiest here yet, taking the wind gauge to 28 knots and Athos to speeds as high as 15.8.

 

The owner and his rep Gary Veenman from Holland alternated at the helm, giving each other much-needed breaks from the giant wheel that played tug of war with them. Three trimmers scooted among the 40-some-odd crew, working the joy sticks on their remote control “God boxes” that controlled the hydraulic operations of winches for hoisting and dropping sails as well as sheeting them in and letting them out. For someone who normally sails 40-footers, it surely would have been something strange and wonderful to behold, but for those who regularly sail in this rarified world of superyachts it was just another approach to racing one of the most magnificent sailing yachts on the oceans today.

Athos’s closest competitor today in the Mademoiselles class at the annual St. Barths Bucket was the 55 metre twin-masted Adela, the steel hulled Dykstra designed Pendennis build that represents a historically significant salvage and rebuild of the 1903 original. Adela had won this 10-boat class yesterday, the first day of racing, and won again today, crossing the finish line first, after the traditional pursuit start had the smallest and slowest boats starting first and the larger and faster boats starting at specific time intervals afterward to try and catch up. Athos, which had finished seventh yesterday, was quite pleased with a second-place finish after being fifth in the pursuit-start lineup. That moved them to fifth overall behind Zefira, Salperton, and Lady B.

 

“No one caught us from behind and we passed two others, so we must be doing something right,” said Athos’s Brookes. “It was a hard-work race today. Windy and wet, and everyone’s uncomfortable but they still have to concentrate on the job they are doing. We had some problems (with the spinnaker hoist) but we dealt with them. It was more like the North Sea instead of the Caribbean there for a while.”

 

Aboard Adela, Kim “Shags” Morten conceded that the Adela team can sail well in any direction and in any conditions because they have the choice of sails to make the right calls in any given situation. “Our biggest competition is Athos; we think it comes down to the crew performance,” said Morten, adding that he has competed in every Bucket to date, the last three on Adela. “We now have top-of-the-line sails, a carbon fiber mast and a team that has sailed together in the last three superyacht regattas.”

 

In Grand Dames class, Georgia rose to the top of the scoreboard after taking today’s race. Blue Too, which was leading going into today, retired after a crew was injured and fell to seventh with a finish score today of 13.

 

In the Gazelle class, Visione maintained its first position overall with a fifth-place finish today. However, they are tied on point score (6) with both P2 and Cape Arrow, with Unfurled only one point behind.

 

Hanuman claimed another bullet, its third, in the J Boat class today. When asked what was different about today, tactician Kevin Burnham joked, “Nothing, we won the race!” But in all honesty, the win didn’t come easy. “The biggest challenge in pushing that type of machine around the race course (in today’s conditions) is that stuff gets shocked-waved,” said Burnham. “We blew up a kite — it just exploded into a million pieces.”

 

The crews on all 36 Bucket boats are glad to be back on terra firma for tonight’s pirate-themed “Bucket Bash.” The party should do its part to prepare them for tomorrow’s Wrong-Way Around (the island) Course.

Results as of Saturday

PRELIMINARY PURSUIT as of 30 March, 2013 – UPDATED MARCH 31 0800
Race 2: Not So Wiggley Course

Saturday     30-Mar-13             PRELIMINARY

Start Sequence: B
Results: Race 2                     Results: Cumulative

GRAND DAMES     (Long Course 27.2 nm)
Race 2     FINISH     TIME                     Race 1     Race 2     Race 3     Total
Points     TIME     Delta                     Points     Points     Points     Points     Rank
GEORGIA                      1     2:36:58 PM     0:00:00         GEORGIA           3     1           4     1
PARSIFAL III*           2     2:39:25 PM     0:02:27         PARSIFAL III           4     2         6     2
AXIA                               3     2:46:15 PM     0:09:17         PANTHALASSA           2     8         10     3
ZENJI                            4     2:48:42 PM     0:11:44         AXIA               7     3         10     4
ANDROMEDA LA DEA     5     2:51:48 PM     0:14:50         ZENJI               8     4         12     5
PANTHALASSA* **     8     2:54:09 PM     0:17:11         SALUTE           6     7         13     6
SALUTE           7     3:13:48 PM     0:36:50         BLUE TOO           1     13         14     7
LUNA               8     3:15:05 PM     0:38:07         ANDROMEDA LA DEA     9     5         14     8
ROSEHEARTY           9     3:15:51 PM     0:38:53         SILENCIO           5     13         18     9
MALTESE FALCON     10     3:22:00 PM     0:45:02         LUNA               10     8         18     10
BLUE TOO           13     DNF     N/A         MALTESE FALCON     11     10         21     11
SILENCIO           13     DNF     N/A         ROSEHEARTY           13     9           22     12

MADEMOISELLES     (Long Course 27.2 nm)
Race 2     FINISH     TIME                       Race 1     Race 2     Race 3     Total
Points     TIME     Delta                     Points     Points     Points     Points     Rank
ADELA                 1     2:46:45 PM     0:00:00         ADELA                 1     1           2     1
ATHOS               2     2:51:57 PM     0:05:12         ZEFIRA               4     3         7     2
ZEFIRA               3     2:54:32 PM     0:07:47         SALPERTON           2     6         8     3
KOO               4     2:56:12 PM     0:09:27         LADY B               3     5         8     4
LADY B               5     2:57:36 PM     0:10:51         ATHOS               7     2         9     5
SALPERTON           6     3:04:39 PM     0:17:54         KOO               10     4         14     6
WILD HORSES           7     3:08:22 PM     0:21:37         SARAFIN’           6     8         14     7
SARAFIN’           8     3:08:40 PM     0:21:55         PRANA               5     10         15     8
SYMMETRY           9     3:11:55 PM     0:25:10         WILD HORSES           8     7         15     9
PRANA                 10     3:21:03 PM     0:34:18         SYMMETRY           9     9           18     10

GAZELLES         (Long Course 27.2 nm)
Race 2     FINISH     TIME                     Race 1     Race 2     Race 3     Total
Points     TIME     Delta                     Points     Points     Points     Points     Rank
UNFURLED           1     3:03:21 PM     0:00:00         VISIONE           1     5           6     1
REBECCA           2     3:05:24 PM     0:02:03         P2               2     4         6     2
CAPE ARROW           3     3:06:24 PM     0:03:03         CAPE ARROW           3     3         6     3
P2               4     3:07:13 PM     0:03:52         UNFURLED           6     1         7     4
VISIONE           5     3:10:12 PM     0:06:51         REBECCA           8     2         10     5
INDIO               6     3:11:44 PM     0:08:23         INDIO               4     6         10     6
LEOPARD3           7     3:16:27 PM     0:13:06         CHRISCO           5     8         13     7
CHRISCO           8     3:16:42 PM     0:13:21         LEOPARD3           7     7         14     8
BAIURDO VI           10     DNS     N/A         BAIURDO VI           9     10           19     9

* 5 MINUTE PENALTY FOR OVER THE LINE EARLY
** PANTHALASSA TOOK A 20% SCORING PENALTY IN ACCORDANCE WITH SI 18.2

Race 1: Around the Island

Friday     29-Mar-13

Start Sequence: C
Results: Race 1

GRAND DAMES     (Short Course 17.0 nm)
Race 1     FINISH     TIME
Points     TIME     Delta
BLUE TOO           1     2:06:51 PM     0:00:00
PANTHALASSA           2     2:17:46 PM     0:10:55
GEORGIA           3     2:18:20 PM     0:11:29
PARSIFAL III           4     2:22:08 PM     0:15:17
SILENCIO           5     2:22:25 PM     0:15:34
SALUTE           6     2:24:35 PM     0:17:44
AXIA               7     2:24:48 PM     0:17:57
ZENJI               8     2:31:45 PM     0:24:54
ANDROMEDA LA DEA     9     2:33:55 PM     0:27:04
LUNA               10     2:38:20 PM     0:31:29
MALTESE FALCON     11     2:42:43 PM     0:35:52
ROSEHEARTY           13     DNS     N/A

MADEMOISELLES
(Medium Course 20.8 nm)
Race 1     FINISH     TIME
Points     TIME     Delta
ADELA                 1     2:15:18 PM     0:00:00
SALPERTON           2     2:18:07 PM     0:02:49
LADY B               3     2:23:35 PM     0:08:17
ZEFIRA               4     2:27:51 PM     0:12:33
PRANA               5     2:28:10 PM     0:12:52
SARAFIN’           6     2:29:28 PM     0:14:10
ATHOS               7     2:31:01 PM     0:15:43
WILD HORSES           8     2:33:05 PM     0:17:47
SYMMETRY           9     2:35:40 PM     0:20:22
KOO                 10     2:37:35 PM     0:22:17

GAZELLES
(Medium Course 20.8 nm)
Race 1     FINISH     TIME
Points     TIME     Delta
VISIONE           1     2:29:51 PM     0:00:00
P2               2     2:31:55 PM     0:02:04
CAPE ARROW           3     2:32:04 PM     0:02:13
INDIO               4     2:34:02 PM     0:04:11
CHRISCO           5     2:34:29 PM     0:04:38
UNFURLED           6     2:36:47 PM     0:06:56
LEOPARD3           7     2:37:43 PM     0:07:52
REBECCA           8     2:39:32 PM     0:09:41
BAIURDO VI           9     2:41:04 PM     0:11:13

FOLLOW THE J CLASS ON THE WATER: tractrac.com

J Class – PROVISIONAL as of Saturday 30 March
Race 1     Race 2     Race 3     Race 4     Total
Points     Points     Points     Points     Points     Rank
HANUMAN           1     1     1           3     1
LIONHEART     2     2     4           8     2
VELSHEDA     5     3     2           10     3
RANGER     4     5     3         12     4
RAINBOW     3     4     6           13     5

Saturday     30-Mar-13
Results: Race 3             Course Type:     CR
Wind Range:     Heavy
Start Time:     11:00:00 AM     Approx Dist:     29.4 nm

FINISH     ELAPSED     CORRECTED
Rating     TIME     TIME     TIME     Rank
HANUMAN           1.017     2:01:44 PM     3:01:44     3:04:49     1
VELSHEDA     1.013     2:05:22 PM     3:05:22     3:07:47     2
RANGER     1.018     2:04:59 PM     3:04:59     3:08:19     3
LIONHEART     1.021     2:09:03 PM     3:09:03     3:13:01     4
RAINBOW     1.018     8:00:00 PM     9:00:00     DNF     6

Friday         29-Mar-13

Results: Race 2
Course Type:     CR
FINISH     ELAPSED     CORRECTED
Rating     TIME     TIME     TIME
HANUMAN           1.018     1:31:04 PM     2:31:04     2:33:47
LIONHEART     1.020     1:31:48 PM     2:31:48     2:34:50
VELSHEDA     1.014     1:32:50 PM     2:32:50     2:34:58
RAINBOW     1.020     1:34:24 PM     2:34:24     2:37:29
RANGER     1.015     1:35:14 PM     2:35:14     2:37:34

Thursday     28-Mar-13

Results: Race 1
Course Type:     WL
Wind Range:     Light
Start Time:     12:10:00 PM     Approx Dist:     12NM
FINISH     ELAPSED     CORRECTED
Rating     TIME     TIME     TIME
HANUMAN           1.028     2:21:59 PM     2:11:59     2:15:41
LIONHEART     1.029     2:24:42 PM     2:14:42     2:18:36
RAINBOW     1.034     2:28:09 PM     2:18:09     2:22:51
RANGER     1.012     2:31:38 PM     2:21:38     2:23:20
VELSHEDA     1.018     2:31:39 PM     2:21:39     2:24:12y

 

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The 2013 St Barths Bucket Regatta action starts on March 28. This annual yachting spectacular will feature the latest in superyacht designs along with true classics. Thirty-five yachts are ready to join the festivities and racing.

Racing begins on Thursday March 28 when five J Class yachts head for the starting line. This will be the first gathering of five or more J’s since 1937!

Three more races are planned, with all yachts racing in four separate classes -Les Mademoiselles des Mers, Les Grandes Dames des Mers, Les Gazelles des Mers, and the J Class.

The largest yacht is the 88m Perini Navi built schooner Maltese Falcon. Eleven of the current entries are 50 meters or larger. Among new boats to the St Barths Bucket is the 31m Dubois Naval Architects designed Sarafin and the 31m Newport Bucket winner Indio.

The around the island courses create spectacular opportunities to view these breathtaking vessels under sail. The racing format has been modified somewhat, with the start times set so that the classes should finish together. This change is designed to make the racing both more competitive and safer.

Now in their 27th year, the Bucket regattas attract the crème de la crème of yacht builders from every sailing nation, with several builders boasting multiple entries. The “Big Five” sailing yacht builders (Perini Navi, Royal Huisman, Holland Jachtbouw, Alloy Yachts and Vitters) have for many years supported the Bucket Regattas, playing a meaningful role in growing the Bucket and helping maintain the non-commercial atmosphere, another significant hallmark of Bucket races.

One of Executive Director Tim Laughridge’s goals is to ensure that the renowned Spirit of the Bucket is retained while providing participants with great class racing. He’ll be helming Parsifal III and racing to win, but reminds everyone that the overriding theme is to sail safe and win the party!

The four class winners of the 2013 St Barths Bucket will each receive a Ship’s Bell Clock from Chelsea Clock.

J Class
Yachts (5)	LOA(m)	Type	Builder	Designer
Hanuman	42m	sloop	Royal Huisman	Dykstra Naval Architects
Lionheart	43m	sloop	Bloemsma/Claasen Jachtbouw	Hoek Design
Rainbow	40m	sloop	Holland Jachtbouw	Dykstra Naval Architects
Ranger	41m	sloop	Danish Yacht	Sparkman & Stephens
Velsheda	40m	sloop	Camper & Nicholson	Nicholson
les Gazelles des Mers
Yachts (9)	LOA(m)	Type	Builder	Designer
Baiurdo VI	35m	sloop	Abeking & Rasmussen	Gilles Vaton
Cape Arrow	30m	sloop	Southern Wind	Farr – Nauta
Chrisco	31m	sloop	CNB	Luca Brenta
Indio	30m	sloop	Wally Yachts	Frers Naval Architecture
Leopard3	30m	sloop	McConaghy	Farr Yacht Design
P2	38m	sloop	Perini Navi	Philippe Briand
Rebecca	43m	ketch	Pendennis	Frers Naval Architecture
Unfurled	34m	sloop	Royal Huisman	Frers Naval Architecture
Visione	45m	sloop	Baltic Yachts	Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design
les Mademoiselles des Mers
Yachts (10)	LOA(m)	Type	Builder	Designer
Adela	55m	schooner	Pendennis	Dykstra Naval Architects
Athos	62m	schooner	Holland Jachtbouw	Hoek Design
Koo (non spin)	43m	sloop	Vitters Shipyard	Dubois Naval Architects
Lady B	45m	sloop	Vitters Shipyard	Dubois Naval Architects
Prana	52m	sloop	Alloy Yachts	Dubois Naval Architects
Salperton IV	45m	sloop	Fitzroy Yachts	Dubois Naval Architects
Sarafin’	31m	sloop	Oyster/RMK Marine	Dubois Naval Architects
Symmetry	29m	sloop	Yachting Developments	Frers Naval Architecture
Wild Horses	24m	sloop	Brooklin Boat Yard	Joel White
Zefira	50m	sloop	Fitzroy Yachts	Dubois Naval Architects
les Grandes Dames des Mers
Yachts (12)	LOA(m)	Type	Builder	Designer
Andromeda La Dea	48m	ketch	Perini Navi	Perini Navi
Axia	38m	ketch	Palmer Johnson	Sparkman & Stephens
Blue Too	34m	ketch	Alloy Yachts	Ron Holland Design
Georgia	48m	sloop	Alloy Yachts	Studio Scanu Sri Butch
Luna	52m	sloop	Perini Navi	Perini Navi
Maltese Falcon	88m	schooner	Perini Istanbul	Dykstra Naval Architects
Panthalassa	56m	ketch	Perini Navi	Ron Holland Design
Parsifal III	54m	ketch	Perini Navi	Ron Holland Design
Rosehearty	56m	ketch	Perini Navi	Ron Holland Design
Salute	56m	sloop	Perini Navi	Ron Holland Design
Silencio	50m	ketch	Perini Navi	Perini Navi
Zenji	56m	ketch	Perini Navi	Ron Holland Des

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Saturday morning saw warmth and sunshine in the Solent for the J Class Hundred Guinea Cup race; East around the Isle of Wight, based on the original America’s Cup course.

Light Easterly wind was due to give way to just a whisper of Southerly breeze in the day, and the prospect of a shortened course looked likely. Nothing could have dampened the enthusiasm of the spectator fleet though, as hundreds of them joined the Js at the start line, anticipating a race to rival the glory days of the 1930′s America’s Cups.

Rainbow sensibly withdrew from Saturday’s racing for safety reasons after a small technical issue. The remaining three, Velsheda, Ranger, and Lionheart were a fantastic spectacle as they hoisted their 16,000 square feet of mainsail and genoa, and began circling on the RYS line area, North of Cowes.

As if sensing the importance of the occasion, as the start time approached, the Easterly wind unexpectedly picked up strength. With hundreds of boats and thousands of spectators watching, the three boats crossed the line on Starboard, benefiting from the last of the flood tide. After the start, the sea erupted with the acceleration of hundreds of powerboats and RIBs following the three boat fleet.

The yachts pressed on in the light wind out to the Nab Tower. Lionheart rounded first, setting her 10,000 square foot spinnaker.

Lionheart held the lead at St Catherine’s Point with Velsheda a short distance behind, and Ranger close by. Even after three quarters of the course, only seconds split the fleet.

Lionheart held her lead and rounded the Needles first, to the delight of hundreds of spectators on beaches and headlands from Hurst Castle to Christchurch.

By the time the boats reached Fort Albert, it had become apparent that the strong adverse tide through Hurst and patchy winds up the Solent were going to make finishing the round the island almost impossible, and the Race Committee took the decision to shorten the course retrospectively, as agreed in the sailing instructions. The course was finished at the Needles, where times had been taken. The results (including Time Correction Factors) were calculated but kept a secret from the Js until the prizegiving, where all the crew and owners assembled that evening.

Lionheart’s position at The Needles won her the King’s Hundred Guinea Cup. This was a fantastic achievement for Lionheart and her owner, competing in their first J Class regatta, and well-deserved as Lionheart has performed consistently well at each regatta and taken line-honours twice, narrowly losing out on first place each race on corrected time.

Velsheda rounded about two minutes behind, and Ranger a further five minutes behind.

Because of her great results in the Solent, two wins and one second, Velsheda was awarded the Corinthian King’s Cup for the regatta’s best amateur helmsman. Originally presented by King George V, the Corinthian King’s Cup, dating from 1914, will be presented each year as a perpetual trophy “for friendly competition between J Class yachts, each sailed by an amateur owner”.

 

The Kings Hundred Guinea Cup was originally presented by King George VI at the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club in 1937. Both trophies were kindly donated by Jan Hart; associate member of the JCA, keen supporter of the fleet, and owner of the building copyright for JS1 Svea.

Saturday was a great day for those watching from the mainland, as the Js were seen by thousands of spectators around the island from every possible vantage point; from Cowes, Lee-on-Solent, Hayling Island, Bembridge, Ventnor, Christchurch Bay, and Hurst.

The Hundred Guinea Cup was another great race by the competitive J Class yachts, providing a spectacle that will live in yachting memory for a very long time.

On Saturday night, crew, owners, and organisers enjoyed a prize-giving party at the Royal Southampton Yacht Club, jointly sponsored by Pantaenius, and Dykstra and Partners Naval Architects. Everybody attended the event in great spirits, still buzzing from four days of wonderful sailing.

Lionheart and Velsheda’s prize-winning owners made speeches enthusiastically thanking the Royal Southampton Yacht Club for their excellent race-management, as they received their cups.

Both the Falmouth and Solent Regattas were the inspiration of David Pitman, who has been class secretary for more than twelve years. He worked hard, together with Mike Beggs, the class measurer, to bring these two wonderful regattas to the UK this year. He was significantly responsible for the growth of the class from the original three yachts to a fleet of seven on the water, with three more projects underway. David says “It has been my pleasure to work and sail with the J Class fleet for more than fifteen years, creating an environment where the class can grow and flourish.”

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A difficult first day began with strong winds and a fierce outgoing tide facing the four yachts at the start of the Solent regatta.

Ranger crossed the start line first, followed extremely closely by Velsheda and Lionheart, with Rainbow a few seconds behind. Lionheart and Rainbow crossed onto the North shore for the long beat into a strong 20 knot SW wind and building sea.

Ranger and Velsheda elected to work the Island shore, where the stronger outgoing tide was expected to work in their favour.

At the weather mark, now crowded with spectator boats from all around the Solent, Ranger rounded first, with Lionheart close behind, followed by Rainbow and Velsheda, who had slipped back. Ranger gybed and set onto a symmetrical kite whilst Lionheart split from her with a bearaway set onto an assymetric kite. Ranger then drew ahead, sailing the best angles into the foul tide with the symmetrical.

The gap between the yachts never opened up significantly. Ranger led 100 metres from the finish line and just squeezed across first, despite a very strong finish from Lionheart.

1st Ranger
2nd Lionheart
3rd Rainbow
4th Velsheda

 

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Fog delayed the start of the first race of the UK J Class Regatta series 2012, postponing the 1200 start, positioned one mile south of Pendennis Point, by one hour.

By twelve o clock, the sun was still struggling to break through but visibility had improved enough to get the UK regattas underway. As 1300 approached, the number of spectators on the water grew towards the hundreds. Almost all spectators kindly complied with the race officers’ request to keep the start line clear.

After the ten minute gun, the yachts started circling and manoeuvring for the best starting positions, the atmosphere getting more and more tense as the minutes ticked away. The last few minutes were thrilling for all spectators.

At the start, the boats split into two sections; Lionheart and Ranger at the end of the line, and Rainbow and Velsheda at the port end.

As they accelerated towards the windward mark at Helford River, the support ribs and spectator fleet gamely tried to keep up.

Ranger, who had sailed on the seaward side of the course, managed to pull in front by a few boat lengths and by the time she’d rounded the windward mark had stretched her lead to 200 metres,  along  the short spreader reach, turning downwind and launching her 10,000 sq. Ft. Spinnaker.

Lionheart was next around the mark, but after an early gybe she ran into a spinnaker problem and was forced to drop it on deck and launch another, smaller spinnaker. This proved costly as she slipped to last place further down the leg.

Meanwhile, Velsheda and Rainbow sailed with spinnakers offshore, picking up a fresh wind from the seaward side and by the end of the leg, with freshening wind, closing the distance on Ranger.

After around 2.5 hours of racing in various wind strengths across the bay, the race was shortened, with Ranger crossing the line first, comfortably ahead of Velsheda and Rainbow, with Lionheart some distance behind.

1 – Ranger
2 – Velsheda
3 – Rainbow
4 – Lionheart

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The last race was held in light northerly breezes, and the Race officer bravely issued a course with a downwind start, passing the crowded spectator fleet off Fort Adams and Castle Hill.

Both yachts got away cleanly but Velsheda elected the pin end, closer to the next gate and gained a quick advantage. A gybing duel followed, but after a few inside gybes, Ranger caught her spinnaker high in the rigging and it quickly split, loosing them more ground for the recovery.

At the bottom mark Velsheda had gained a 2 minute lead, enough for them to command the windward berth on the long slow upwind leg back to the shortened course finish line, right in front of the many spectators at Castle Hill.

 

 

The exciting tactical race was a fitting end to a great regatta,  where many thousands of spectators were enthralled by these great yachts.  Just a few of the comments included
” It was wonderful to see these boats from a past era”
“we could not believe the size and power of these yachts”
“and the teamwork on these boats is astounding”
“we can’t believe that they were designed and built in the 1930′s

 

Corum  Watches  presented a wonderful perpetual trophy to Ranger, the overall winner, who also won a unique timepiece – a Corum Tide Watch

Challenge and Adventure would like to thank Jock West and David Pittman for coordinating a spectacular event.  Special thanks go out to Brian Rochelle and Vicki Bray for making it happen smoothly.  Nick Innacone we thank you for going above and beyond helping us out.  We look forward to the next J-Class Regatta.

For more images of the action from all five races by George Bekris click HERE

Crew of Velsheda (Photo by George Bekris)

Crew of Ranger (Photo by George Bekris)

 

 

 

 

 

More Images of the J-Class regatta are available on our Photo Gallery Page.

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A simply stunning day of racing was experienced by the thousands of spectators who took to the waters to see Ranger and Velsheda battle in the near perfect conditions of Newport Harbour – 16 knots southerly with sunshine.

The two yachts circled and manouvred for best position to cross the start line , laid across the bay from Fort Adams. Both got away cleanly, but Ranger quickly got the advantage and covered Velsheda most of the way up to the first mark, laid well out into the bay. nly several boat lenghts seperated them along the next four mile power reach with their massive spinnakers driving them at around 16 knots.

Downwind the yachts had to pass a gate at Fort Adams, where many spectators had lined the shore to see these yachts glide past with more than 16,000 square feet of area in the mainsail and spinnaker. Sailing through the gate, the gap was down to half a boat length. Both gybed simultaneously in true America’s Cup style and trimmed sails for every inch of advantage, continuing alongside each other under the Newport bridge and down to the leeward turning mark.

Ranger, just managed to turn the leeward island one boatlength ahead, giving them the advantage to hold a cover up to the finish. Ranger, the bgger boay, gives Velsheda a small handicap in these conditions, but won by 27 seconds on corrected time. Ranger now has a 2:0 win with three races to go in the series.

There is plenty more to see this weekend as the J-Classes take to the waters off Newport this weekend for racing.  The racing starts at 1:00 pm Saturday and Sunday off Fort Adams.

For More Images by George Bekris of the J-Class action click HERE

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Velsheda battles to catch Ranger (Photo by George Bekris)

 

 

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