The World’s Most Popular One-Design Keelboat
A very close competion so far between defending champion Mauricio Santa Cruz from Brazil, a model of consistency with four top three finishes, leads the fleet overall but the crew from Rio is being pressed all the way by former World Champion Tim Healy of the USA who is only two points adrift. He in turn has only two points to spare over Britain’s Ian Southworth.
Click here for links to the competition pictures and results
Go to the Howth yacht club site here
The annual J24 Gosford Classic Regatta is fast approaching on the long weekend in October – Entries are open and we also welcome early membership renewals to avoid queues at Gosford.
Please call Paula on 0404 539176 if you have any questions.
I have had a number of people ask me about servicing winches and I am aware that many people don’t do this regularly and have no idea how to do it. It isn’t hard, it doesn’t need to be messy, but you do need to be careful how you do it. I am going to give a servicing demo on Jet at SYC on the 8th September at 2.30pm for any J owners and sailors that want to see how to do it. If you want to come shoot me an email to let me know.
simon@smarketing.com.au
0413 870 046
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Recently Brendan Lee discovered the joys of servicing winches, a good thing to do and I recommend it’s something all owners should do twice a year, doesn’t take a lot of time if you do it regulary. But woe betide anyone that forgets to do this at all. Winches are full of moving parts, hopefully some winch grease and some small but very important springs and palls (those are the things that make the clicking noise when you spin them)
If your winches aren’t making this important sound, or seem to have no noise at all, too much play in the drum or worse still don’t go round very well at all, then you have a problem you need to get on to – immediately.
If you don’t then you’ll have a problem like Brendan just found, some bits not going round at all, one bit stuck inside another so hard that force, freezing and heat wouldn’t budge it. Result – frustration and the need to go and buy a new one at $600+ each.
Lucky for Brendan, he has found another answer and he has had the winch fixed for just $35. Not saying that this is all you have to pay if you have a problem, but the answer for owners of Barlow Barient winches and others is a company in Sydney that we are very happy to promote, THE AUSTRALIAN YACHT WINCH CO, also known as HUTTON WINCHES I believe. Chances are this company will be able to service/fix your winch for a fraction of the cost of buying new winches.
I have bought winch bearings from them previously and they have a very quick and reliable buy and mail out service.
Their full details are:
THE AUSTRALIAN YACHT WINCH (SALES) PTY. LTD.
4 Narang Place
St Marys N.S.W. 2760 Australia
Phone: +61 2 9623 2448
Fax: +61 2 9623 2265
Email: winches@attglobal.net
Website: www.huttonwinches.com
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 15th 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 15th 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 13th . 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…13th!!
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!
