Fleet #1 Admin

Great write-up by winning skipper Ryan Simmons:

Gorgeous weather was welcome for the second regatta of the season. Down on the Circle, after a significant postponement on Saturday, winds filled to 17 knots with flat water and very steady direction for ideal racing conditions. Racing was tight and contested at every mark rounding with many races having the top 7-8 boats finishing within seconds of each other. Such a close, competitive fleet placed a premium on tactics and boat handling.

At the end of the day Blackhawk was sitting with a 2-point lead over Godot and a 3-point lead over Arbitrage, putting those three a step ahead of the rest of the pack with 2 races to go on Sunday. With 23 boats racing it was still anyone’s regatta. Each of the top 3 won a race on Saturday, earning us all famous SFYC MaiTais!

Sunday we were treated to breeze right away, conditions started around 10-12 knots with a building ebb tide. After 2 general recalls and a 20% Z-flag penalty distributed to multiple undisclosed boats, we finally got the first race off. Donkey Jack won the race handily, and after a very close pass on the final downwind leg, Arbitrage, Godot and Blackhawk finished 2,3,4… Setting up a virtual tie between the 3 leaders going into the final race.

The 5th and final race was a short upwind-downwind-upwind in variable 12-17 knots. Rounding the first weather mark Arbitrage came in on the port layline and fouled 2nd place Donkey Jack. In an effort to clear themselves to complete their 720, they held out Donkey Jack and Blackhawk for a few boat lengths, allowing 4th-6th place boats to slide inside at the offset. Once set, there was a 5 boat drag race running downwind, with Godot positioned on the inside of the pack and Blackhawk on the outside. Godot chose to gybe first and trend middle/left on the leg, Blackhawk hung it out to the far right of the course. Upon reaching the leeward gate Blackhawk rounded the left gate in first with Godot one boat length behind, while simultaneously Donkey Jack and Wonder rounded the right gate and prepared for the final sprint upwind.

We actively try not to get too caught up focusing on or covering single boats when fleet racing, but when the entire regatta comes down to a final beat and the only boat that can challenge for the victory is 10 seconds behind you, tactics change. While the rest of the fleet raced to finish, Godot and Blackhawk engaged in a match race up the middle of the course. Despite Godot’s multiple efforts to clear and an attempt to set up a pick, Blackhawk was able to cover all the way to the finish, taking 2nd place in the race and winning the regatta. Donkey Jack won the race, finishing the regatta strong with a 1,1 on Sunday… Snake-eyes and a round of MaiTais for that crew, Heehaw!

Final results: Blackhawk finished with 12 points, Godot 15 points, Donkey Jack edged Wonder on the tie breaker for 3rd with 22 points, and Arbitrage finished 5th with 26 points. It was a very exciting weekend of racing with close boat on boat situations and tight racing from start to finish. See you all out there again for J/Fest!

Tested by strong system-generated, cross-current wind, a heavy ebb tide, and twenty-two J/105 teams hungry for their first win of the season, Rolf Kaiser, Shannon Ryan and the other crew of Donkey Jack finished on top at the 2016 StFYC Spring One Design Regatta, March 5-6, 2016.

Gale force winds were forecasted on Saturday afternoon, so PRO Bartz Schneider and his RC team compressed time on the water with three short races, featuring a .4-mile-long reach against the ebb tide to the offset buoy to enable a square downwind leg.  Southerly winds built in pulsing storm-driven fashion and showed a westerly shift, challenging racers to find the early starboard layline. Donkey Jack posted consistent finishes of 4-2-2 to lead the day by 3 points, despite Tom Kennelly’s team on Wonder taking bullets in both race 2 and 3!

Kaiser credited their relatively conservative strategy with Saturday’s success: “Our goal was to start ‘upriver’ at the pin, and then make sure we could tack before we got to the port-tack layline as it [too] came up quickly on such a short course. Then we made sure to tack well under the crowd [fetching the windward mark] since you could always make it with such a strong left-to-right ebb. After that we just focused on keeping the boat upright downwind.”

Noted rules expert and sailing coach Dave Perry finished up a week of seminars in San Francisco with an all-day session Saturday, following the J/105 fleet on-the-water and providing a debrief in the evening. Following his advice, several boats got out to the starting area much earlier on Sunday to practice and collect pre-race information. Day two presented sailors with more customary winds from the West-Southwest and even some sunshine. “Now this was in the brochure!” remarked Santiago Said, owner of the Chilean J/105 Patagonia Virgin (#346), as he sailed out to the starting area aboard Bruce Stone’s Arbitrage. His smile grew wider when Arbitrage won the first race of the day. Santiago had come all the way from Chile to crew for Stone in this regatta, and he left for home with Dave Perry’s book and the hope that some of his colleagues read it. He seemed to think they could use help in following the Racing Rules of Sailing!

Both races Sunday featured tough decisions concerning the accelerating ebb and a rather large transition zone between westerly influenced outside pressure and southerly puffs along the shore. Pat Benedict and his team on Advantage3 demonstrated their savvy local knowledge by winning the final race of the regatta in convincing fashion. “In the last race we got a great start and stayed in the ebb upwind. Downwind we took relief along the shore even though the wind was slightly lighter. It must have paid off, because on the last leg we nipped Akula at the finish,” Benedict explained, and added, “These kind of days keep you coming back!”

In the end, it was Donkey Jack that held onto the overall lead with a 3-6 and clinched the first regatta win of the season. We “had challenging conditions to start the season but everyone seems to be able to keep their boats and people in one piece,” reflected Kaiser. “Plus, there were a few new faces out there we are happy to welcome to the fleet. Let’s get 20+ boats on the line for each event this year!”

Now’s the time to sign up for the St Francis Yacht Club’s Spring One Design Regatta, the first event on the 2016 Fleet One calendar. This year, Saturday’s racing fun will be combined with a post-race seminar by Dave Perry, illustrated with events on the water and, no doubt, a smattering of entertaining and informative anecdotes drawn from his experience as a skipper, tactician and RRS maven. Dave is a collegiate All-American, two-time Congressional Cup champion and a respected author and teacher. For several years, Sailing World published a regular column by Perry: “Winning In One-Designs”. Perry went on to pen “Tactics in Windshifts”, “Heavy-Air Madness,”, “Inner Sailing” and “There is No Lee Bow Effect.” Even better known and more widely read is Perry’s accessible: “Understanding Yacht Racing Rules”. 

Don’t miss this opportunity and be sure to sign up before March 2nd to avoid late fees. To race, you’ll need to have paid your 2016 Fleet One dues – send your check to Pat Doyle ASAP if you still haven’t taken care of it.

Oddly enough, you also need perseverence to win the 3BF, while navigating fickle winds, treacherous currents and 380 other boats on your breeze or in the way. This year clockwise was the right call and those that headed to Blackaller beat the easterly starters by about an hour. Masquerade was second and Mojo third. Jam Session was the first clockwise J105, finishing 6th.

The next event is the Spring One Design Regatta on March 5/6th weekend. Don’t forget to pay your fleet dues, enter the race and wake-up hibernating crew members; 2016 championship season kickoff is only a month away.

Opening the regatta with what would prove to be his worst finish, a fourth, Shawn Bennett and his team on Jose Cuervo then racked up four first place finishes for a nearly perfect record against 26 other teams competing for the 2015 J/105 North American Championship, run concurrently with Rolex Big Boat Series at the St. Francis Yacht Club (San Francisco, CA). Shawn won not only the right to have his name inscribed on the J/105 NA half-model trophy, but also the St. Francis YC Commodore’s Cup, and he received a coveted Rolex Submariner Watch. In second place was Mojo (Jeff Littfin), with Risk (Jason Woodley/Scott Whitney) in third place, last year’s Big Boat Series winner Arbitrage (Bruce Stone) in fourth, and Blackhawk (Ryan Simmons) in fifth.  

For a quick J/105 NA video wrap-up, click here.

There will be a boat weighing at the Berkeley Marine Center Saturday, March 21 between 10:00 and 11:00 AM. Dick Horn, USSA Measurer will perform the weighing and certified weight certificates will be issued.

Why should I get my boat weighed?

In order to race in Fleet and Class one design races (including the 2015 North Americans in San Francisco) , a J/105 must have a weigh certificate stating its weight meets/exceeds the Class minimum weight (8576 lbs).

Why should I get my boat weighed if I don’t plan to race one design?

Even if you race PHRF, you need to meet the “specs” of the type of boat you are racing. Someone could protest your PHRF rating if you don’t meet the specs.

Also, if you ever want to charter your boat to someone who wants to race in a one design regatta, a weight certificate is required.

If you want to sell your J/105 to a person who wants to race the boat, the weight certificate hurdle is already handled.

Why should I get my boat reweighed?

Boats that have had major repairs (i.e. hitting rocks with their keels) or change in equipment (i.e. new engine) are required to be reweighed. In these cases, the results usually means a decrease in corrector weights.

How much does it cost?

Previous weighings have been $150/boat when we have four or more boats (we presently have two boats committed). Individual weighings are significantly more. This is the only weighing planned for 2015.

The winter RegattaPro series kicked off on November 8th on Berkeley Circle. This year’s entry list features a large number of new boats, new names on old boats, new owners of known boats and old owners in familiar boats in unaccustomed positions on the leaderboard. The continued growth and evolution of Fleet One speaks well of the boat, the class and the quality of the J105 racing on San Francisco Bay – Welcome All!

After two races, Hazardous Waste leads the pack, followed by Chinook and Aquavit – doing well under new management, then David Mace’s Moonlighting, and Joyride in 5th. The next two races are scheduled for December 13th. There’s still time to sign up for the best Winter One Design racing on the bay.

Fleet One is hosting the North Americans during the 2015 Rolex Big Boat Series on Sept 17-20.

In addition to the usual 20+ locals boats, we extend a warm welcome to J105 owners around the country to bring their boats or to charter local boats and share the fun. To whet your appetite T2P.TV folks kindly prepared a special video using J/105 footage from the recent Rolex BBS. Turn up the speakers and enjoy the action!

A year after the contest for the 34th America’s Cup, world-class sailing is alive and thriving on San Francisco Bay. For four days in September, the 50th Anniversary edition of the Rolex Big Boat Series hosted hundreds of sailors on 99 teams, rotating onto three strategically-placed race circles that triangulate the constant wind and tide challenges of the largest Pacific estuary in the Americas. Having developed stadium sailing long before the America’s Cup made it a local colloquialism, the St. Francis Yacht Club ensured fast fun for spectators as well as competitors by designing each day’s second race (always sailed in a blustering afternoon breeze) to finish within cheering distance of the clubhouse’s famous second-story race deck that commands attention east to Alcatraz Island and west to a sun-drenched, or alternately fog-enshrouded, Golden Gate Bridge. The J/105s made up the largest fleet at Big Boat this year, and Bruce Stone’s Arbitrage held the lead every day, earning the team the Commodore’s Cup plus the Rolex watch. “This is the toughest fleet in the country I think,” said Stone who missed winning last year by a narrow margin. “We felt that the new courses were really interesting, and St. Francis Yacht Club did a really excellent job,” he added. Scooter Simmons’ Blackhawk took the silver position, and Phillip Laby’s Godot the bronze. Complete results