General

Hi Everyone.

You may remember the Jet crew went to Auckland for the MRX Regatta earlier this year – we had a ball and I suggested that we try and get a number of J Crews to go and do the regatta again next March.

Have you thought about it ?

The organisers have put out more information about next years event and I have copied it below with a link to a page with all the info they have sent so follow the links and check it out

Submit your “Expression of Interest” in the

2014 Farr MRXPacific Keel Boat Challenge Now

To register your Club, Class or Crews interest in competing in this regatta please E-mail your Expres­sion of Interest to:

Tom Macky, Fleet Manager, MRX Yachting

E-mail mrxyachting@xtra.co.nz, Mob +64 21 679 125

For more information

You can call me for more information and to have a chat about it – 0413 870 046

Click here to go to the J24 detail page   https://j24.com.au/?page_id=3849

         On last year’s regatta click on the link  www.mrxyachting.co.nz/pacific-challenge.htm

Notice of Race Gosford Classic Regatta_2013

Notice of Race NSW State Championship 2013

NOR to be published shortly!

Hi Guys and Girls, anyone wanting an opportunity to sail in the Med?  I recieved this email this morning.

“Dear J/24 Sailors,

 It is our great pleasure to invite all J/24 sailors close and far afield to join us this coming October to the J/24 European Championship in the unique and charming Principality of Monaco.

This regatta will be unique in many ways. For those of you who have never been to Monaco, our Principality, wedged between France and Italy, will enchant you. You will discover a magical country with a unique character. Small enough to give you a village atmosphere, yet big enough to host some unique events from the Formula One Grand Prix to the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters or even the Yacht Club de Monaco’s very own classic yacht regatta, the Monaco Classic Week, which brings back centuries of traditional yachting to life ashore and afloat. All this while surrounded by super yachts, fast cars and unique sights.

It is an honour for us to host, once again, the J/24 European Championship, 20 years after the Monaco edition in October 1993.”

Bernard d’Alessandri,
Yacht Club de Monaco’s Secretary General

So what can you expect from the Monaco J/24 Europeans?

From the unique atmosphere of our “Port Hercules” harbour where you will find a mixture of traditional fishing boats mingling with the largest super yachts. Your will be mooring your J/24’s amongst some of the most exclusive super yachts in the world in a harbour where moorings are near impossible to obtain! No to mention the warm welcome of the Yacht Club de Monaco where you will immediately feel at home.  For this high profile event, the Yacht Club de Monaco has assembled a very strong race committee to ensure smooth, fair and professional race management. Heading the Race Committee will be John Coveney a key international race officer with excellent experience of the southern coast line of France and an unquestionable knowledge of its mistral, levante and tramontane!

Whilst talking of the bay of Monaco, this is your race area. Right outside the harbour, you will find open waters so the race area will be on your door step. No tide, little current, mainly just plain deep water! No sand banks or shallow parts to avoid or escape too! Just one large expanse of water in which the race committee will lay the course. Miss the windward mark and your next stop is Corsica!

In simple terms, the race area is a 2.5 nautical miles radius circle just outside the harbour. From dock to start line in less than 10 minutes!!

From the social events hosted by the Yacht Club de Monaco to those who will explore the Principality further afield by maybe dancing in the Rascasse with its live band, or visiting the local brewery, eating the Provencal delicacies from the Condamine market, gambling at the world famous Casino or visiting the internationally reputed Oceanographic Museum on the cliff edge, there are plenty of activities to do while not out on the water racing.

By the time you come to leave Monaco at the end of the regatta, you will be able to recount amongst other memories that you towed your J/24 down the start finish line of a formula one race track. How is that for your next piece of bar talk?

Benvegnüu a Monaco!

We now have a gallery of pictures and articles from the past, sometimes enlightening and always interesting.

If you have old pics and stories from the past and would like to add them to this page (listed under the About J24) link on the main nav bar, please send them in to me and they will go online.

Click Here to go to the page

Call me if you wish, Simon 0413 870 046

I had made up my mind to sit out the Vic championships this year for one and a thousand reasons, but the Monday before the championship weekend brother Ron rings me out of the blue to say there was a boat available that needed a helmsperson. With only a moments thought I was there – great, fly in fly out ( rockstar! – how lucky could I be!) Little did I know there was no crew either!

So with help I managed to gather a lovely bunch of keen sailors for the racing. Sydney ‘foldup’ Matt ( mast person from the winning boat Kaotic last year) kindly offered to join us ( thank you God!). Matt flew down with me last flight Friday evening from Sydney. Simon and Ron put the boat in the water. And in the morning we woke to a text from our French (very much needed 100kg) crewman who said he was “closing in on very first Australian woman” and couldn’t make it for the racing today. I had to smile having never met the man at least he was honest!

So down to the 4 of us. We arrived to see the boat in the water, clean and neat and tidy and by the time we had met each other and had weighed in ( all 270kg of us) it was time to go ( who starts racing at 1000hrs these days?). The wind was a steady 15knots and after establishing the crews limited sailing experience and positions we pulled on our gloves and hoisted the mainsail. First practice work the main pops out of the boom track. So truckie Matt lashes it to the end of the boom with a tight outhall and we were off again.

Race 1 – not a bad start considering no-one onboard had a watch ( used the flags and the whites of our competitors eyes to estimate the start) 101,102,103!!!  Ahh they are coming!! Better power up, lets go for the line!!!… we found ourselves mid fleet approaching the first mark when BANG!! The traveller and mount pulled out from the boat along with 2 x mainsheet pulleys. I was ready to go back ashore but SUPER FOLDUP MATT sprung into action.

We managed to limp around the first mark and lucky it was a long downwind leg as Matt (6ft 4) folded himself up into the back hatch and found the nuts and bits ( he does bit parts for Gumby in the off season). He stayed in there while the girls stood on the traveller and mount and after much blood sweat and tears it was secured. The pulleys and spring were also pieced together enough to give us some purchase for the rest of the day. Miraculously it was sorted by the bottom gate ( with not a second to spare I might add). We headed off upwind to chase ’em down!

The next 2 races were good – shorthanded the girls were fabulous with learning to set and jibe the spinnaker ( had never done this before on a J). With only one major wrap – sailing angles a little sharp (waved “hi” to Brighton Yacht club) we got to the gates packed up ready for the upwind leg every time. And heck only lost a brace at the finish line nearly wrapping the finish boat with our kite, just the once!

Race 4 – I didn’t take note of the windward mark change and headed over to easterly side of the course for the big lift from the left, overlaid the top mark by a country mile –  dunkoff! Last again!!

Day 2 – Wasn’t sure whether any crew would turn up but alas they were there with bells on – comparing bruises. We had time to practice the pole set and jibe while still tied up to the mariner. Matt tightened every nut and bolt and lashed the mainsail before we left the wharf. We decided no matter what the wind did we would stay with the jib and aim to stay with the fleet today.

Race 5 – first start OCS ( lost count!) so back we went and decided to practice our tacks upwind – playing the lifts and knocks – and spinnaker sets and jibes downwind – perfect. OK so now we are ready to go and compete!!

Race 6 – In the groove – and found ourselves battling it out for 15^th spot with JN in ‘Vice Versa’ by our side and WC in J-Force so excited to see us in the mix at the top mark he nearly drove us into the hitch mark – hands waving I shooed him away – (he doesn’t want to be my best friend anymore!) And we held 15^th ahead of Vice Versa! We were on the up!

Race 7 – the last race – I had decided the Thomo cup was well out of reach (again!) – if you cant beat ’em, join ’em, I thought as I followed my big brother up the first work and kept up with the pack. Switched into race mode again and we were ripping along. Matt calling the wind, tacking beautifully, floating the spinnaker, Jodie jibing systematically and cleanly and Justine arranging the middle of the boat fabulously and tucking the spinnaker away single handily perfect!. We confidently rounded the last windward mark, set the spinnaker and tucked a quick jibe to squeeze up to 13^th . And then it was pin back the ears and go for that finish line!!  JN was riding every wave and we could hear him praying from our boat, trying to peg us back with every gust ( please God – I have been a good boy this week, make me go faster!) And it was only the congratulatory hail of “Bitch!” that confirmed our victory…13^th!!

We couldn’t wipe the smiles from our faces – it was worth it after all. So what a challenge it was and I am grateful for the opportunity to race and to sail Gatsby ( thanks JN) with such patient and lovely girls and sooo grateful to sail yet again with Matt. He was our godsend for the weekend.

PS. Last saw JN standing under Gatsby negotiating ‘best price’ to buy the boat back from himself!

Two days of hard competitive racing saw Dave Suda sailing ‘Pacemaker’ regain the Vic States crown – just.

Not his closest winning margin (that goes to a previous tussle with yours truly, winning on a countback in the last race), but by one point from Stephen Girdis sailing Convicts Revenge from Sydney. The most important point to take out of all this for the rest of the fleet was the lack of individual dominance that has been seen in the class over the last few years. Dave won with a score of 25 points, rather than the single digit scores we have seen sometimes recently. Put that down to the shifty conditions or to the growing depth in talent of the top half of the fleet. You choose, but congratulations go to Dave and his crew.

Previous winners Ben Lamb and Arthur Crothers didn’t defend, Ben is in the wilds of NT or FNQ (gone a roving for work … nobody knows) Sean Kirkjian was another missing face from interstate amongst many missing out on a great regatta this year. But with 19 local boats (including two interstate crews) and another two boats from interstate, the 21 boat fleet fought it out over 4 races on Saturday and 3 on Sunday.

Third was taken out by Adam Evans in SDM and it seemed this was a popular placing as the next 4 boats all came very close to coming third, with only 6 points separating 3rd from 7th and with a number of stories of ‘if onlys’ and ‘might have beens’.

Doug Watson from SA will be thinking if only he hadn’t gone deep to the left going downhill on Sunday when the wind came from the right he would have been third. Ron Thomson giving an awesome display of ability in the old green boat will be thinking how close he came to winning a new kite in the middle of the field when his OCS was reinstated back to a first, but if he hadn’t had the uncharacteristic 11th on Saturday he would have been 3rd. The girls on Hyperactive with their new ‘import’ calling the shots would be thinking that a couple of double digit placings on Sunday morning took them out of 3rd and then there is Jet going hard left to engage the forecast change when running 3rd found the breeze went the other way, losing those 6 points made all the difference.

Brendan Lee sailing ‘By the Lee’ finishing a bit further back could have been 3rd too – if only he hadn’t had the DSQ after communing with Doug MacGregor at the top mark. Doug didn’t sail after that either. If only !

Hard luck stories abound in racing, Hugo lost a rudder on the first day, the only one he had so that was catastrophic to his cause, Warren Campbell lost his kite pole around his foredeckies ear, meaning a new pole and hospital surgery for his bowman after an ambulance ride. Sam Haines and his crew all came down with gastro on Saturday night so MMJ did no work at all on Sunday – did they eat together ?

But really – was it that bad, well apart from the aching bones and sore muscles, the fleet went about it’s business in a pretty orderly way. A southeasterly on Saturday around the genoa /jib mark with many changing back and forth and a little lighter then windier from the north east on Sunday, but shifty, very shifty. It’s not often you see Dave Suda mixing it with some of the back markers and some of the back markers were pretty surprised to find themselves next to Dave !

And the Sunday was nearly Dave’s undoing, after ones and twos on Saturday and being required to wear the new ‘Club Pro T-shirt at Mike Lewenhagens great BBQ night (thanks again Mike) in the evening as he wielded the BBQ tongs and downed the sherbets, Dave put in a very ordinary day by his standards on the Sunday. With a 7,8,4 he only just scraped home ahead of Convicts Revenge. Can’t have the title going to NSW two years in a row !

As usual we had a cast of worker bees and volunteers doing the planning and organising to get us all on the water, thanks again to Sarah, Doug, Kirby and Jill, mainstays of the Vic Association, plus the committee and hangers on. Thanks once again to MonJon Security for their most appreciated and continuing support. Special mention to Sam Haines from UK sails for putting up a new kite to be won by the boat coming 11th out of 21 boats, This is to show his support for the middle of the pack, the unsung heroes of the bulk of our fleet, out there every day learning and moving up the pecking order. Of course it was won by Robin and Jim Townsend, two of the nicest people in the class …. from SA. Well Sam the plan was good and much appreciated. Sam has chartered ‘Make my Jay’ this season and is now buying the boat, pity he hasn’t got to sail it much and only got one day out of the states. Much more to come from Sam I think !

Close racing – you bet, check out the finish times of the last race, boats tied, boats finishing 1 second apart, next to nothing separates this fleet !

So the racing was tough, the course legs around a mile, longer than we do in club racing, but the learning curve for many is steep and rewarding. Many skippers telling me of their experiences and enjoyment, a tough but a good regatta by any standard. The highest placed new owner, Mark Foster sailing ‘Gridlock’ at 9th a very good effort, no major ups or downs, just a good consistent performance. Andy Hunting, one of our youth boat skippers at 10th with a best placed 3rd, Michael Lewenhagen a long time class stalwart, now in Vertigo has jumped up the placings to 13 and at times was right up near the pointy end. Best placed newcomer though was Bruce Alexander in ‘Melbourne Sailing’, the old ‘Dolly’ which he recently picked up for a song (and maybe some dance).

Bruce also took out the handicap win for the series ahead of John Neville in ‘Vice Versa’ (raffle winner as well) and Robin Townsend sailing in Good Company (well …renamed from Excite Your Senses for the regatta)

Perhaps the most unusual thing to happen was a text message from a new French crew member to be sailing with Janette Symes in the middle of the night to indicate the potential success he was about to have with an Australian woman and the subsequent no show !!!!

Rotten luck Janette, I didn’t see it awarded, but that would be where you lost the Thommo Cup this year I guess !

The results this year mean the racing is wide open, Dave is nearly beatable (last seen recharging his confidence with a beer under the boat) and although the usual suspects are still near the pointy end the pattern is definitely changing. Victoria is the place to race J24s at a club level at the moment in Australia with consistent racing all year and a strong ‘travelling’ group of owners as well. However some of the best sailors still come from Sydney and I know Steve Girdis is taking the message home to the harbour city that the storm is coming from the South in the next two major regattas.

Now is the time to start thinking about going to the NSW States on Cup weekend at RPEYC and the Nationals at the same venue in early January and mixing it with our Sydney mates.

Finally, thanks go to all the owners, skippers and crews, their travelling companions and those left at home, without you this group of sailing loving people could not get together regularly and tell old stories while they make new ones.

See you at the next one.

If you have good pics send them to me and I will get them online.

For full results Click Here

The MRX is a Farr 1020 with a small steroid pack stuck up it’s transom, a better rig, a racing deck with a bigger cockpit, a better keel and about 1200kg lighter.

In Auckland they have 10 of them – all identical and just like the J24 they offer incredibly close racing. The JET crew has just been over there doing the MRX Pacific Keelboat Challenge and having a fantastic time

Next year we need to get a group of 6 J crews to go over and have a fantastic J party sailing in this regatta, we would have a ball. I know because we did this year.

I have put together a story and a few pics about it all – too much to go on the J site front page so here is a link to it on another page

CLICK HERE TO READ ON

Greg Rowlings has completed a hat-trick of Tasmanian championship wins in the International J24 keelboat class, taking out a hard-fought series on the River Derwent.

Read all about it in this link to the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania    Click here

Monjon Australia 2013 J24 Victorian Championships are almost upon us, this will be another hard fought regatta and now is the time to get your entry in and arrangements made for accomodation and travel.

Regatta dates are the 20th and 21st April.  Venue is Sandringham Yacht Club.

Click here to go to the regatta page for more information that will help you

The NOR and other race documents and notices to competitors will be available shortly from the SYC site.

Once again our  friends at MONJON are the Major Sponsors of the regatta being very generous in their help of the class here in Melbourne – Thank you very much Jon at MONJON.

MONJON is a specialist security company that provides professional ‘in-house-trained’ personnel, equipped with leading edge technology that meets the demands of their many national and multi- national clients.

MONJON specialises in Static Guard, Patrol Guard, Electronic Surveillance, and Security Training, including Road Traffic Management services for sites ranging from major construction to TV and Film production sets and major events.

So if you or anyone you know needs security and more in Melbourne then go to the MONJON site   www.monjon.com.au

Also sponsoring the regatta this year is UK Sails. Sam Haines of UK has donated a brand new kite to be won by the skipper that comes exactly in the middle of the fleet. Sam’s aim is to support the class stalwarts who make up the bulk of the class by being there every week and not usually winning any silverware. Here’s one for you guys in the pack – how good is that – thanks Sam !

If you need to ring and find more information out, then contact: Sarah Thompson 0415 931 046  or  Kirby O’Brien 0403 025 250