J/80 sailors can now register for the 2010 Worlds online at the regatta website. With 25 requests for charter and a record US turnout expected, Newport is bracing for a J/80 invasion in October!

| 20 May 2010 | worlds website | 

(Cardiff, Wales, UK)- The Tacktick Suunto J/80 UK National Championship was hosted by the Cardiff Bay Yacht Club and was presided over by PRO David Cairncross. The fleet were greeted by more breeze on Saturday morning than they had enjoyed over the previous two days of the Championship; a blustery 15 to 23 knots blowing from the cold North East. Going in to the final day only seven points separated the top three at the Championship; BOATS.COM, ELLE S'APPELLE and PURPLE HAZE. Read more at link below.

| 12 May 2010 | J/80 UK Sailing Information | 

Since publishing J/80 Best Practices Part I, many J/80s have undergone the seven-step inspection recommended annually for the keel/keel floor area. If you have not conducted this inspection, we strongly urge you to do so before the coming season. Part II documents the damage found on a 1994 J/80 as a result of this inspection as well as the subsequent repair. The subject boat is a 1994 J/80 that was purchased by its current owner in the fall of 2008 after 14 seasons of sailing with at least two previous owners. The boat was run through the seven-step inspection process at International Marine, in Bristol, RI....

| 18 March 2010 | Link to Best Practices Part II | 

The proposed amendments for the J/80 Class Rules are now published (click on the Class Rules link on menu in left column) and subject to a 60 day review by class members, followed by an Executive Committee vote. Approved amendments will then be submitted to ISAF for approval, with an expected effective date of June 1, 2010. The proposals follow several months of development and review by the Technical Committee and Executive Committee.

| 16 February 2010 | 

Join in on the USA J/80 Class in 2010 for an incredible East Coast tour of events. The fleet now moves to Charleston, South Carolina for Charleston Race Week in April, and then continues working up the coast culminating with the J/80 World Championship in Newport, Rhode Island. If you can't do them all, partner up with a buddy to share the program and enjoy great sailing, world class competition, and camaraderie in some of the worlds most famous seaports.

Apr 9-11 Charleston Race Week Charleston, SC
Apr 30-May 2 Sperry Topsiders Annapolis NOOD Regatta Annapolis, MD
Jun 6-7 Sprit Fest Shelter Island, Long Island
Jul 9-11 Sail Newport Regatta Newport, RI
Aug 6-8 Buzzards Bay Regatta Marion, MA
Sep 9-12 North American Championship Marion, MA
Oct 4-9 J/80 World Championship Newport, RI

| 30 January 2010 | 

The J/80 class kicked off the first event of the USA Tour in fine fashion with 19 boats making the trek to Key West for five days of championship racing. The third largest fleet, and the only one to grow at least 20% from the prior year, the J/80 class had great racing with many past champions in the fleet.

10 races were contested over five days. Special thanks to Neil Martin and his UK team aboard Jammy Dodger, as well as Magnus Tyreman from Sweden, who returned to Key West for a second straight year to enjoy the competitive mid-winter racing.

Past World and North American champion Glenn Darden with partner Reese Hilliard aboard LE TIGRE, of Fort Worth, Texas, sailed an impressive series (placing third or better in seven of 10 starts) to capture the J/80 Midwinter Championship. LITTLE FEAT, skippered by Jeff Johnstone, won both races on Friday to get within one point of LE TIGRE. Class newcomer Will Welles, a veteran J/24 racer, sailed RASCAL to an impressive third place finish in his first regatta.

1. LE TIGRE Darden/Hilliard 34 points
2. LITTLE FEAT Johnstone 35 points
3. RASCAL Will Welles 41 points
4. RELENTLESS Al Minella 54 points
5. LIFTED Kerry Klingler 54 points

The USA J/80 Class sponsored KATTACK live GPS tracking and J Boats hosted nightly replays at their hospitality tent. The tour now moves north to St. Petersburg.

| 29 January 2010 | Results | 

The 2010 J/80 Worlds website is now online with the Preliminary Notice of Regatta and general travel information. Many more details will be filled in during the coming weeks, but this will get J/80 sailors started on their planning for this pinnacle event in 2010.

| 23 November 2009 | 2010 Worlds Website | 

Attention J/80 Sailors - get ready for some fantastic sailing on Lake Garda next summer, as the Italian J/80 Class Association invites you to the 2010 European Championship. The event will be hosted by Fraglia Vela Malcesine Yacht Club and take place 21st-26th of June. The Italian National Championship will be held two weeks prior (11-13 June) at the same venue.

The event weblink is up and running and complete information will be posted there in the near future.

| 03 November 2009 | 2010 Europeans Site | 

The 2009 J/80 North American Championships proved to be the perfect ending to a great season of J/80 racing. The best of the best came to Texas to give it their all in a fight for the championship. Six past North American Champions joined the fleet of 27 boats, in what proved to be almost perfect conditions on Galveston Bay. The regatta went down to the wire of the final race of the 8 race series, with Kerry Klingler and crew aboard Lifted edging Terry Flynn by 1 point, to win the 2009 North American Championships. In third place was another past champion, Glenn Darden, followed by Jay Lutz in fourth. The current Midwinter Champions, the Storck Family, rounded out the top 5. We went back to our 7th place finisher, Bill Rose and the crew of Kicks to win the Corinthian Trophy. Congratulations to all the competitors, the fleet was mixed every race through out the regatta, making it the most competitive J/80 regatta I have seen.

I want to thank this years host venue, Lakewood Yacht Club for having us. Terry Chapman, the club General Manager, and his staff did a fantastic job. A lot work was put in by our race committee, Marc Holdaway, Principal Race Officer, and Dwight Bengston, Race Committee Chairman, did a great job in putting together a very organized group of individual to run all the races. There were 29 different people helping on race committee on either mark set boats or committee boats, thank you all. Andrea Todaro served as our Head Judge and Protest Chair person. Thankfully to all the J80 racers, we handled our business professionally on the water and the protest room was never used. Finally, I want thank Kristen Robinson and the J80 Class for their support and for the party on Friday Night. Thank you guys the sailors and members of the J80 class, you make events like this fun to put on. Practice up all winter if you can, the 2010 Season is just around the corner, and Marion is hosting the North Americans, followed by the Worlds in Newport. It is a great time to be in the J80 class.

Robert McMahan
Kaos USA 703

| 27 October 2009 | 

Race-ready and fast out-of-the-box take on a whole new meaning with the J/80. Consider that in this year's World Championship in Spain, the 1st and 2nd place teams (out of 132) raced newly built, unmodified charter boats supplied by the local J dealer. There was no time in advance with the boat, no time to even think about changing anything just add sails and go. The Worlds winners sailed an incredible regatta in dynamic conditions, but isn't it great to know you can hop aboard a new boat in a competitive class without having to complete a laundry list of items to get up to speed? And to prove it wasn't a fluke, charter boats were 2nd and 3rd at the 2008 Worlds in Kiel!

| 14 August 2009 | 

The Swedish Championship took place in Sandhamn in the Stockhom Archipelago 25-28th of June as a part of Sandhamn Race Week, Volvo Ocean Race Stopover and Around Gotland Off Shore Race. Twenty boats competed with representatives from both Estonia and Norway. With stable winds of 3-5 m/s and a sunny sky the conditions couldnt be better and the races offered a really tight fleet. The proud winner was SWE 562 with former Olympic Champion Peter Sundelin as a tactician and his son Martin Sundelin at the rudder.

| 03 August 2009 | 

Rayco Tabares and his team from the Canary islands aboard Princesa Yaiza raced a nearly flawless series to capture the 9th J/80 World Championship in Santander Spain. A record 132 boats competed in the 12 race, one discard series, that saw a wide range of conditions and very tough competition.

The Royal Santander Yacht Club and their sponsors put on a very impressive show both on the water and ashore. The jury was active on the water enforcing the bowsprit and pumping rules. The fleet was split into Gold and Silver after three days of qualifying. All scores were carried forward. For complete results, pictures and stories of this fabulous event, click on the worlds website link.

| 13 July 2009 | Worlds Site | 

Most classes consider 60-70 boats to be an incredible turn-out for a world championship. Try doubling that and you get a sense for just how big the 2009 event will be in Santander, Spain. Months ago organizers had already anticipated a big turnout and so plan to initially seed the fleet into four groups who will sail against each other for a series of qualifying races. Scores will carry through when the fleet is divided into gold and silver fleets. CLick on the link to the left of the home page for the latest results and pix.

| 02 July 2009 | 

ISAF recently confirmed the approval and new release of the 2009 J/80 Class Rules. This document along with the summary of the rules changes is now uploaded on the RULES page of this site. Most notable of the changes is the expansion of the advertising rule to allow more than one advertiser on the hull (where previously there was a limit of one advertiser for the boat and sails). The bowsprit rule is also simplified by ridding the conflicting language regarding retracting the sprit at the leeward mark. The new wording, suggested and approved by the ISAF rules committee, reflects the same intent as the previous rule only with less chance for misinterpretation by event judges.

| 29 May 2009 | J80 Rules Page | 

J Boats has compiled, with the help of several industry experts, a best practices inspection, maintenance and use guide for J/80 owners. All owners are strongly urged to read the recommendations, to proactively and periodically inspect all critical components of their boats, and to contact anyone in the J/80 network of dealers, builders and class associations when any questions. Please click on the J/80 Best Practices link on the left side menu of the home page.

| 18 May 2009 | 

Following two separate incidents in the past 12 months where 15+ year old J/80s suffered apparent keel stub failures, J Boats, with the help of several industry experts, is compiling a best practices inspection, maintenance and use guide for J/80 owners. The following is an excerpt of the draft document, specifically regarding inspection of the keel and keel floor area. We strongly urge all owners to read carefully the recommendations and to inspect their boats.

INSPECTION FREQUENCY
Considering the typical high-frequency use seen by many J/80s, at a minimum, we recommend that J/80s be inspected on an annual basis and that a professional survey be done every five years.

HOW TO INSPECT YOUR KEEL/KEEL FLOORS (For Owners and Surveyors)
1. With your boat suspended from travel lift straps (OK) or braced in a cradle (best) or trailer (good), grab the keel at the bottom and forcefully rock it back and forth. This tip deflection test on a deep keel boat should create a small amount of flex over the span of the keel and sump (if solid fiberglass like the J/80), but there should otherwise be minimal movement from side to side. When you release the keel it should immediately return to position (and not continue to cycle). It is also important to have someone belowdecks to check for movement in the keel floor or bilge area, or any evidence that the sump is moving independently of the keel floors.

2. Are there any visible signs of cracking on the hull at the front and back of keel? Check the leading edge and bottom of keel for any impact marks/dents, scrapes. The two go hand in hand with grounding or impact damage.

3. Is there any cracking at the sump/keel joint? A crack in the cosmetic wrap could indicate that the keel nuts have loosened and need to be re-torqued. A crack may also permit water to penetrate to the keel bolts and cause crevice corrosion over time particularly if in salt water. Keel nuts should be torqued according to ISO standards, which specify the setting based on bolt material and thickness. For example, a 316 stainless keel bolt has a torque setting of 125 ft lbs assuming clean threads.

4. Is there any cracking, no matter how small, along the radius of the hull to molded sump interface? This is the transition from the hull fairbody to the keel sump. If yes, then bottom paint/gel coat should be sanded back to identify depth of cracking. One should also inspect the corresponding area on the turn of the sump inside the boat and consider sanding back interior gelcoat to see if any damage to the glass (white crazing). The tip deflection test (#1) can help better identify whether the cracks are a result of flex or a different issue.

5. Pull up all floorboards and thoroughly clean and dry all bilge components. With flashlight and mirror check all keel floor to hull intersections, including all edges of tabbing for any cracking or debonding. The integrity of the molded keel sump relies primarily on the keel floors and their secure attachment. If the keel and sump have excess movement, it is likely that the tabbing of one or more keel floors is compromised in some way (i.e. the floor is floating free from the hull). If there is any sign of different color gelcoats or paint, it is likely the keel sump has been previously repaired. When in doubt, sand away any gelcoat, clean area with a solvent, and look for white spots in the laminate-- this may be a sign of delamination. Have a surveyor immediately inspect this area for structural integrity.

6. Carefully inspect the keel bolt nuts for signs of corrosion. Periodically have your yard back off the keel nuts (one at a time) and inspect for crevice corrosion on the keel bolts. This can also be checked with a magnet. 316 stainless steel is not magnetic but crevice corrosion changes the properties and the steel could become magnetic.

7. A surveyor will use other tools to check the area: the tap test- tapping with a phenolic hammer to sound out both the exterior and interior for voids or delamination as well as to check the integrity of the glass tabbing along the keel floors; a moisture meter for finding areas of elevated moisture; even thermal infrared imaging to check for any inner laminate damage that might not otherwise be visible to the naked eye (see www.inspectboat.com for sample thermography images).

Structural Repair Considerations
For J/80s, the owner and a certified SAMS (www.marinesurvey.org) surveyor or composites expert should (1) determine the extent of cracking, distortion, wetness or delamination and (2) if there is any evidence discovered in step #1 that indicates a potential problem, the surveyor should then conduct destructive or non-destructive testing and, depending on the results of the test, recommend a repair procedure that is carried out by a qualified repair facility.

| 01 May 2009 | 

Were pleased to announce that the Danish J/80 Class was recently formed. At the founding General Meeting, Jens Kristian Andersen was elected class Chairman, with Morten Lorenzen, Helle Jespersen, Kim Londal and Niels Sorensen serving on the National Committee. The Committee estimates there will be 19 J/80s sailing in Denmark this spring. The 2009 schedule includes an Open Danish Championship in Aarhus (close to Germany) September 5-6 together with the Fest Woche.

Visit the new Danish J/80 Class website at www.j80.dk

| 30 April 2009 | Danish Class site | 

The France J/80 class kicked off the season with the largest turnout ever for Spi Ouest, the annual Easter classic held in La Trinite. 90 boats raced a 10 series event over four days, providing an early season glimpse of the competition to come, as sailors prepare for the upcoming worlds in Santander, Spain. French claimed a sweep of the top ten spots led by skippers Laurent Sambron in 1st, J. Queveau in 2nd and Jacques Hubert in 3rd. Sailing in his first J/80 regatta, Americas Cup Bruno Trouble finished a remarkable 6th.

| 22 April 2009 | 

We learned this morning that a 1994 J/80, racing offshore in a rough Double-handed Farralones Race off San Francisco lost its keel about 8 miles from the finish. Thankfully, both crewmembers were safely rescued by the Coast Guard. We have few details at this time, so can only proceed based on the little we do know.

In the absence of a specific incident such as a collision, hard grounding or drop from a crane, a failure of this kind is highly unusual without some kind of warning sign. In the only other keel loss incident among 1,150 J/80s worldwide, the composites surveyor judged the boat to have had significant longitudinal crazing visible at the exterior hull fairbody/ keel sump juncture that predated the failure by a substantial period of time. Additionally, the keel floors tabbing had delaminated from the interior hull laminate prior to the incident. In other words, a routine inspection or survey could have led to the repairs needed to have prevented such a failure.

No sailboat is going to last forever without some updating and repairs, particularly if campaigned hard. We do not know what factors over its 15 year life may have led to the keel failure on J/80 hull #45. But we strongly urge all J/80 owners, indeed all J/Boat owners, to routinely inspect keel stringers and keel sump areas, both internally and externally with frequency and most importantly prior to entering an offshore race. Owners should specifically look for any longitudinal (fore/aft) cracking that appears on the outside of the hull and/or on the turn of the bilge, as well as any issues with the fiberglass tabbing attaching the stringers to the hull. Any compromise to the stringer tabbing, due to any number of reasons, can severely weaken the overall sump system. If you find cracks, do not assume that its OK, without confirmation from an expert surveyor.

For all boat owners, the keel sump and stringers, along with other high stress areas, such as rigging attachments, chainplates, rudder pintles, mast step, mast partners and primary bulkheads should be inspected at least once per year. As this unfortunate incident reminds us, one can not be too vigilant when dealing with life threatening situations. Pro-active inspection of the key structural elements of the boat are part of keeping oneself, family and crew safe.

Owners should contact their local J representative if they need assistance

| 31 March 2009 | 

Texas is welcoming back all J/80 sailors on October 23-25, 2009 at Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, Texas for the 2009 North American Championships. Fleet #2 is excited and looking forward to hosting this event, especially one year after Hurricane Ike landed ashore in Galveston and resumed across Galveston Bay into the Seabrook area. The area has fully recovered and is back on the water racing. Lakewood Yacht Club is excellent host club, providing great facilities, a very experienced race committee, and very near by accommodations. It is always year-round sailing here in the Houston areas, temperatures in October are very mild with low humidity, typically find it in the 70s during the day with sunshine. Robert McMahan (USA 703 Kaos) and Uzi Ozeri(USA 122 Infinity) are leading the regatta organization and the social calendar for the event. Feel free to contact myself with any questions at robdoyle2@aol.com . I will have more information and a website set up with postings by the end of April. Fleet 2 is looking forward to seeing you and your crews here for some good ole Texas hospitality.

Robert McMahan
Fleet 2 Captain

| 09 March 2009 | 

Stuart Streuli of Sailing World magazine caught up with Kaity Storck in Key West last week to find out more about their successul defense of the J/80 Midwinters.

What's your job on the boat?
We actually have a really cool thing. I sail with my dad (John, pictured with Kaity) and usually my two older brothers. We all sort of rotate through positions. This week I am the second most forward person and I'm pulling the spinnaker up, taking the spinnaker down, and helping call tactics. I'm also calling waves and puffs as we go upwind.

Give us this history of this team? My dad has sailed Key West I think probably six times in the J/80, maybe seven times. This is my fourth year in the J/80. We basically started sailing as a family together four years ago. We were actually gearing up to sail the worlds in Corpus Christi, Texas. We were all busy with junior sailors, and, my dad, he sailed a PHRF boat, and then he realized that if he got a one-design boat, we would actually sail with him. So he did, and then we did. I actually have a younger brother and we've sailed with all five of us once, and that was at Block Island Race Week two years ago and that was cool because I got to drive for that.

Tell us a little about your day?
It was definitely a really difficult day. The breezeI'm not sure if it was this way on all the coursesbut on our course it was really streaky and localized. You could easily be going upwind next to a boat that you're pretty close to and suddenly you're pointing 20 to 30 degrees different. Sometimes something would last for a while, sometimes it would only last for a second. You'd get a big header and tack, and then get a big header again. It was definitely really difficult, which made for really tight competitive racing. The first race we finished fourth and I think there was something like 15 seconds between the first six boats [Ed's note: first five boats finished in 35 seconds according to the Premiere Racing website]. The second race we won by less than a second. It was the same thing on the downwind. People sometimes don't realize that in an asymmetrical boat, as shifty as it is on the upwinds, you've got to be just as game on for the downwinds.

The J/80 is a tight one-design boat, but is there any one piece of equipment that was particularly valuable today?
Our personnel is our key tool. We have a new jib that seems to be working pretty well. We've had UK Halsey sails since we've gotten into the boat and they've always done really well. This one seems to have a little more shape at the bottom than our older jibs. This is our first time sailing with it, so we're just figuring it out.

Who would be the MVP of the team today?
The one thing our team has always done really well, is that everyone focuses on doing their own job and just their job. I think that's a problem that a lot of boats have difficulty with, especially when you have a lot of really good sailors together. It's hard for everyone to focus on doing just their job. More often than not, it's not that you run into problems with people messing up their job, but people sort of overstepping boundaries. So everyone always does a really good job on our boat. But probably with the conditions being so shifty and up and down breeze wise, we were seeing easily 10 knot ranges and the really big shifts, I think John, my brother, who was driving the boat, probably gets the MVP for keeping the boat moving.

What sort of advice would you give to another J/80 sailor looking to sail at Key West Race Week for the first time?
Trying to put together a team that has sailed together before so you can be really focused on going fast for the regatta, and everybody knows what they're doing. I will not hesitate to say our strongest point is our speed. If you have a good mix of all-stars and people who have sailed the boat before that's definitely better than all all-stars that maybe have never sailed before because things can get done a lot better. Like I said before, the most important thing on a boat is everybody doing their job. They've got to be good at their job, so they've got to be an all-star at that. But, yeah, speed is really important down here.

| 30 January 2009 | Sailing World KW Blog | 

Key West's famous sailing conditions returned to form last week as sailors from across the planet congregated for the annual battle of the high seas at Acura Key West Race Week, including the 2009 J/80 Midwinter Championship. John Storck Jr. and family (John III and Katie) aboard RUMOR repeated as Midwinter champions, and earned the Lewmar Boat of the Day on Thursday for the top performance in the most competitive class.

Over the 10 race series, RUMOR finished with an impressive 16 points followed by Bill Rose (League City, TX) on KICKS with 26 and Kristen Robinson (Annapolis, MD) on ANGRY CHAMELEON with 47 points. Excellent performances were also put in by overseas competitors Neil Martin of the UK (shown in fine downwind form above), who finished 4th and Hans Renman of Sweden who ended up 10th.

The USA J/80 Class sponsored KATTACK GPS tracking coverage during the event and competitors enjoyed nightly replays under the J Boats hospitality tent. The 2010 Midwinters will once again take place at Key West Race Week in January 2010.

| 24 January 2009 | event results and news | 

The final wording is now complete for the new Rules and Constitution proposed changes for 2009. In accordance with the class by-laws there is a minimum 60 day review period by the NCA's before an official vote it taken on each submission by the International Executive Committee. You can find the proposed amendments by clicking on the RULES link to the left.

| 16 December 2008 | 

Eight teams from eight countries participated last week in the first International J/80 Invitational Regatta in Xiamen, China hosted by J Boats Asia and J World Xiamen. This marked the first ever J/80 one-design event in the Pacific Rim.

Team Belgium captained by Barry Hayes and skippered by China's Olympic Yngling skipper Song Xia Qun won the five race no-throw out series over Team Hong Kong, Team Singapore and Team USA. Other countries included Philippines, France, China, Taiwan, and Australia. Sailors enjoyed the use of brand new J/80s right off the production line of J Boats new Asian builder, Hudson Yacht Industries of Xiamen. Jeff Johnstone of J Boats was on hand to measure boats and run the sailors (most of whom were new to the J/80) through a pre-regatta speed clinic.

"We couldn't be happier with the turnout and the high quality of the competition," said Jeff Brown, president of J Boats Asia and the event chairman. "Xiamen is a beautiful sailing venue and the perfect location to launch a new J World sailing school and the J/80 Asian class. We look forward to welcoming new students when the school officially opens in 60 days and to hosting even bigger J/80 events in the future."

| 13 November 2008 | regatta info and results | 

This coming weekend is the first International Asian J/80 Invitational Regatta, sponsored by J Boats Asia and J World Sailing School. 8 teams are slated to compete aboard brand new J/80s built by Hudson Yacht Industries, of Xiamen, China, J Boats' J/80 builder for the Pacific Rim. Pictured is the Hudson Yacht Industries J/80 team, proudly showing off two of the boats.

| 05 November 2008 | 

The inaugural J/80 Italian National Championship took place September 25-28th 2008 in the Poets' Gulf in La Spezia. 14 boats from across Italy participated in this 6 race, one discard series held over three days.

The opening day featured 18-20 knot northeasterly conditions as the fleet enjoyed three very competitive races. J VIVADO, owned by Cesar Barsottini took the early regatta lead with a 6,3,1 opening, but couldnt hold back the charge of MONT PRES, owned by Paolo Montedonico & Sergio Presta, who tallied races of 1, OCS, 2, 2, 1, 3 to finish with 9 net points, ahead of J VIVADO and Paolo Mussos JEMINI.

"It was a very successful first national championship for the J/80 class," said Massimo Rama, president of the Italy J/80 Class Association. "We can now say that the Italian J/80 Class is off and running with a bright future."

| 02 October 2008 | Event Site | 

The Swedish National Championship was sailed on 16-17 August in Saltsjbaden, outside Stockholm. The Royal Swedish Yacht Club was hosting club and 21 entries came to the starting line. On Saturday 4 races were sailed in moderate winds. On Sunday wind increased and sometimes reached over 30 knots in the gusts presenting "high speed sailing" and spectacular broaches. Tomas Movin with his crew Peter Thorwid, Nils and Peter Olsn won with a fantastic series 1-1-1-(3)-2-1. Second was last years defenders Ingemar Sundstedt/Michael Lindqvist with 15 points followed by Mikael Sundelin/Viking Kjellstrm with 21 points. After sail was sponsored by the J/80 class with German beers brought home from Kiel. A regatta dinner was held on Saturday evening. During the dinner a lottery was arranged and the prize was a new kevlar jib from North Sails. The Swedish J80 class would like to thank the Royal Swedish Yacht Club for arranging this regatta and also many thanks to North Sails, SLAM, Gill, Dynamant and Seglarshopen, who generously contributed with prizes. Photo by: William Blanck

| 02 September 2008 | 

The Italian J80 Class Association is proud to announce its first Italian National Championship in La Spezia (North Italy), from 25 to 28 of September 2008.

We would like to invite all international teams to participate in our championship. Please visit our website www.j80.it to see the Notice of Race. We are arranging some support for foreign teams, which will be given in order of registration until the end of the budget.

Hope to see you in La Spezia!

Regards
Massimo Rama
Presidente Associazione Italiana di Classe J80
Tel: +39 320 0760802
Email: info@j80.it

| 23 July 2008 | www.j80.it | 

J/80 sailing has exploded in Spain over the last two years, and the Spanish have shown just how quickly they have mastered the boat. After a near sweep of the 2007 Worlds in La Trinite, France, Spanish teams captured 1st, 3rd and 6th places at the 2008 Tutima J/80 World Championship sailed last week in Kiel Germany. Ignacio Camino Rodriguez with his crew of Alberdo Padron, Gomez Jose Luis and Armando Gutierrez aboard ESP 899 NEXTEL ENGINEERING sailed a nearly flawless series from start to finish to capture the world title. But their task was not easy. Runner-up Jeff Johnstone, USA, sailing with the all German crew of Henning Mittelmann, Bo Teichmann, and teenagers Stella Mau and Florian Fh, narrowed the gap to only 2 points after winning race #11 while Rodriguez suffered a black flag disqualification, which he was able to discard to preserve the victory.

Sailing conditions were dynamic with winds from 10-25 knots, big shifts, alternating rain and sun on a daily basis, not to mention 64 boats from 12 countries on one starting line with liberal use of the black flag penalty to keep the fleet in check. Rounding out the top five were Carlos Martinez of Spain in 3rd, followed by Patrick Bot of France in 4th and Kevin Sproul of UK in 5th. 6 different countries finished in the top ten, including hosts Peter Hecht and Uli Muenker from Germany aboard NEEDLES and PINS who finished in 9th. Spain will host the 2009 Worlds in Santander June 28th-July 4th.

| 16 July 2008 | Event Website | 

64 teams from 12 countries will be competing this coming week at the Tutima 2008 J/80 World Championship in Kiel, Germany. Never before have so many countries been represented at this pinnacle J/80 event, now in its 8th year. Kieler Yacht Club and the German J/80 Class Association look forward to welcoming competitors to Kiel for the week long event. Several of the top teams from last years worlds will be in attendance including Ignacio Camino (Spain), Uli Muenker (Germany), Kevin Sproul (UK) and Patrick Bot (France).

| 04 July 2008 | Read more | 

The Royal Western Yacht Club in Plymouth hosted the 2008 J/80 UK National Championship from the 18th to 21st of June. An entry of 26 boats (the largest turnout for a UK Nationals to date) arrived on Wednesday for an eight race series managed by PRO Mike Pearson and his team.

DAY 1: After one general recall to start the regatta, the conditions and the need to get in three races) saw the immediate use of the black flag for all of the rest of the days starts. Kevin Sproul in JANE had only put his brand new boat in the water for the first time the day before but quickly showed his intentions with a win in Race One from local boat JIMINI, owned and raced by John McLaren. Paul and Marie-Claude Heys also started their series promisingly with a third in another brand new boat, Janner. The second race saw different faces at the top of the fleet with Sebastian Ripard in AgainstMalaria.com taking the race from Ian Atkins in Boats.com with Kevin Sproul finishing third. Enthusiasm to get away in the third race caused eight boats in total to be black flagged in two starts. The whole of the J/80 Committee, Class Captain, Secretary and Treasurer managed to join the (newly formed, but not-so-exclusive) Black Flag Club! The race was won by Kevin Sproul with Sebastian Ripard having a good day in second. One of the Plymouth University boats, Jang Bang, steered by Mark Yeabsley came third.

DAY 2: The first race of the day was won by Kevin Sproul and Neil Martin in Jenga 4 was now showing some excellent speed in second. It was the turn of the other Plymouth University boat J.I.L.F sailed by James Eastbury to get a good result in third. In the next the first two positions were reversed with Ian Atkins and his lovely crew of ladies in Boats.com coming in third. The final race of the day saw the left hand side of the beat pay with Hester Robertson of the Volvo RYA Keelboat Programme boat taking a good lead at the first beat which they held to the finish. Sebastian Ripard and his team in Against Malaria.com came second with Jimini from the home club getting back up their in third. Kevin Sproul had his lowest position of the championship in 5th, a result that he was able to discard.

Day 3: Heavy overnight rain did nothing to dampen the spirits and although low cloud and drizzle did not make the final day seem quite like summer, good breeze from the south soon brought some decent waves to surf on. Kevin Sproul was not going to let this championship slip away with wins in both the races. Neil Martin took second from Liz and Chris Savage in Savage Sailing Team who finally got some reward for putting in the preparation of coming to Plymouth for the previous weekends open meeting and staying down to practice. Paul and Marie-Claude Heys also had a much better final day with a fourth and third. Scott Cole in Purple Haze from Cardiff also had a happy end to their championship with a second in the final race.

At the prize-giving on the Saturday night, the trophy for Best Newcomer at a J/80 UK Nationals was won by Neil Martin and his team in Jenga 4 who finished second overall. The trophy for the best local boat was won by John McLaren and his crew in Jimini who finished fifth overall. Overall Kevin Sproul and his team; Adrian Gray, Nick Fraser and Rob Gullan showed great speed and consistency, winning the 2008 J/80 UK National Championship by 18 points. Neil Martin was second from Ian Atkins in Boats.com. Photo by www.TekterImages.com Report by Becci Eplett

| 24 June 2008 | 

More than 60 teams from 12 countries are now entered in the Tutima 2008 J/80 World Championship, taking place in Kiel, Germany next month. Never before have so many countries been represented at the worlds. Kieler Yacht Club and the German J/80 Class are proud of this result and look forward to welcoming all competitors to Kiel.

| 19 June 2008 | 

California Yacht Club is pleased to host the J/80 Class for their North American Championship this July 30th through August 3rd. Sailing conditions in Marina del Rey at this time of year are ideal for a championship event, with a 10 to 15 knot breeze typically filling in by noon under warm and sunny skies.

Come sail on the same waters where many championship regattas have been sailed, including the Star Worlds, the Laser Radial Worlds, the J/105 North Americans, and the J/24 North Americans. Experience the dedication of a race management team that has been awarded US Sailings prestigious St. Petersburg Trophy three times in the past decade.

A full calendar of events has been planned:
Wednesday, July 30 Measurement & Weigh-In by appointment
Thursday, July 31 Measurement & Weigh-In by appointment
Skippers Meeting; Practice Race
Friday, August 1 Championship Racing
Post-Race Social Event
Saturday, August 2 Championship Racing
Post-Race Banquet
Sunday, August 3 Championship Race
Trophy Presentation

Marina del Rey is an ideal vacation destination for the whole family. Enjoy shopping experiences from chic Rodeo Drive to eclectic Melrose Avenue. Visit cultural attractions such as the Getty Museum and the LA County Museum of Art or enjoy a concert under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl. Family excursions include Universal Studios, Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm. Competitors and their guests also are welcome to use the Clubs facilities during race days, including a heated pool, snack bar and dining facilities.

Chairman: Marylyn Hoenemeyer
310.472.3577 or 310.617.3870
J80NA@roadrunner.com

| 15 May 2008 | Event Site | 

Last month, Peter Hecht of Kiel, Germany was named the new Chairman of the J/80 Class Association, taking over from Jean-Baptiste Bernard of France, who led the class through 2+ years of tremendous growth, including the addition of three new national classes (Spain, Benelux & Italy) and a new comprehensive measurement website.

Peter is known to many J/80 sailors as the co-owner of Needles & Pins GER 508 along with his partner Uli Muenker. He has sailed at most of the European and World Championships since 2003 and most recently finished 3rd place at the 2007 Worlds. Peter sails frequently with his son Erik and wife Ute. In fact he and his wife double-handed the J/80 from Kiel to Stockholm in 2006.

Peter looks forward to welcoming J/80 sailors to his home town of Kiel, Germany for the 2008 J/80 Worlds in July.

| 07 April 2008 | 

In a recent letter to J/80 Class Presidents, class President Jean-Baptiste Bernard confirmed that:

"Following our discussions during the world championship in La Trinit and the official invitation received from the Santander Yacht Club, I am glad to inform you that the J80 World Championship 2009 will take place in Spain in the Real Club Maritimo de Santander from June 27 to July 5th.

Thank you to the Spanish J80 class to welcome us!

| 18 February 2008 | 

The J80 world championship 2009 will take place in Spain in the Real Maritimo Yacht Club of Santander from June 27th to July 5th.

Thank you to the Santander Yacht Club, the Spanish Sailing Federation, the Cantabrian Sailing Federation and the Spanish J80 owner's Class to welcome us or this event.

| 14 February 2008 | 

A Swedish J80 has just crossed the Atlantic.We all knew the J80 was fast and strong. Need to be convinced?
Here is a piece of their blog:
"My friend Kim wondered what it was like sailing a J80 in the middle of the Atlantic. There are not many similarities with racing around the buoys in Baggensfjrden (the place for J80-racing in Stockholm), not even with the off shore race Around Gotland.
Were we are now there is always lots of wind. Seldom below 20 knots and, at least during our crossing, often close to 40 knots. The wind is easterly so at least it's blowing from the right direction. The waves are also a lot bigger than at home. Lots of nice long surfs. The drawback is that it tends to be a bit messy when they break over the boat.
Another difference is that we rarely steer the boat by hand. Instead there's a rubber band and a rope that through two pulleys are connected to the jib sheet that steers the boat. It works fine for most of the time and it's actually the rubber band that holds the current top speed record of 19.8 knots.
We are often forced to sit inside the cabin to get away from the constant spray from waves. In the beginning it was a very eerie feeling when the boat surfed down a wave in 12-13 knots without anyone steering. In rough weather this happens once every minute or so so after a while you hardly think about it. The boat is unbelievably stable especially at high speed with the rubber-band steering system and it has never broached nor jibed at speeds over 10 knots.
The few times we are forced to steer the boat by hand is during extreme conditions. At that time all three reefs in the main has been used and the jib is replaced by the storm jib. Despite the tiny sail area the boat is heavily over powered and is constantly planing. Waves are washing down over the boat all the time and it has happened more than once that I've wished that I had brought my ski goggles for protection against the spraying water.
The last two days the weather has been a lot nicer though. Around 12 knot winds and the deck of the boat is actually dry for the first time in many many days. It's great to sit in the sun for once. :-)
Only 599 nm to go"

| 29 January 2008 | more on the following link | 

With only three races in, two days cancelled, and the fleet in a 3 hour postponement, it wasnt looking pretty 11am Thursday during Acura Key West Race Week. But then the ON switch was activated, and Premiere Racing's expert race management team ran off five races in the last day and a half, to ensure another successful week at Key West and the J/80 US Midwinter Championships.

John Storck of Huntington, NY aboard RUMOR captured the J/80 Midwinters over perennial champion Kerry Klingler of Larchmont, NY and Magnus Tyreman from Stockholm Sweden. Storck, with son Eric driving and daughter Katie trimming, managed an impressive 6 bullets in 8 races. Fleet participation was up from last year, and all indications are that 2009 will be a banner year - the 15th with the J/80 in attendance!

Special recognition goes to Magnus Tyreman (Sweden), Neil Martin (UK), Terry McKenna (Canada) and Curt Johnson of Marina del Rey, CA, for the long distance awards.

TOP FIVE OVERALL

John Storck, RUMOR 8 pts
Kerry Klingler, LIFTED 19 pts
Magnus Tyreman, PANEKILLER JANE 27 pts
Geoff Pierini, USA176 29 pts
Al Minella, RELENTLESS 31 pts

| 29 January 2008 | Read more | 

The J/80 recently debuted in Asia at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's Maersk Asian International Sportboat Championship, where two out-of-the-box J/80 yachts took the top two spots, finishing ahead of a mixed fleet of custom and production built sportboats from China, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. Jeff Johnstone of J Boats and his all-Hong Kong crew edged out colleague Jeff Brown of San Diego to complete the one-two sweep. Brown, with partner Hudson Wang, recently opened the J Boats Asia dealership with an office in downtown Hong Kong and with plans for a mainland China office in early 2008.

The Asian debut comes at a time when J/80 activity is booming worldwide. The recent J/80 World Championship in La Trinite-sur-Mer, France had 124 competing teams - a record for the Class, and momentum continues to build. "The J/80 is a solid all-around performer that's really easy to sail," Johnstone said. "It's more stable than most sportboats, and so attracts and rewards sailors from a wider age and ability range."

Jeff Brown is equally enthusiastic about the J/80's Asian debut. "We see Hong Kong, China, and Asia as great opportunities for J/80 sailing and for the J/80 Class," said Brown. "There is no better small keelboat for new sailors - the J/80 combines the speed and responsiveness of a small boat with the comfort and stability of a larger yacht. With momentum so strong around the world, we're hoping to host the J/80 Pacific Rim Championship in a few years!"

The J/80 will be on display at the Shanghai International Boat Show next April.

| 23 November 2007 | www.jboatsasia.com | 

Eastport Yacht Club and its top-notch race committee team hosted an outstanding regatta last weekend. A strong fleet of 33 boats showed up in Annapolis with teams from as far away as California and Texas who were treated to a typical mixture of fall conditions on the Chesapeake Bay. Kerry Klingler, a class veteran and professional with UK Sailmakers, used solid crew work and superb boat speed to capture the North American crown with a low score of 16 points. The crew of Lifted consisted of Doug Lynn, Neil Bresnan, John Bowden, and Kerry Klingler. This victory was Klingler’s third North American Championship and second consecutive win. Everyone had high praise for EYC race committee, chaired by Jeff Borland. "Overall, the race committee did a great job of running races in difficult conditions. They worked hard to ensure fair and fun races," Klingler wrote in a blog entry on the UK Sailmakers website. "The regatta was well run and a lot of fun. I would like to thank Eastport Yacht Club, which provided the home base for the event. If you missed the regatta, you missed out on some great sailing and great competition."

| 15 November 2007 | Read more | 

Due to the very low water levels in Lake Norman, NC the 2007 North Americans will now be held in Annapolis, MD. Eastport Yacht Club will be hosting the event. Dates for the championship regatta remain the same, Nov. 9-11, and if you have already registered, you registration fee and application will be transferred to the new race organizers. If you have not already registered, please do so now! Annapolis is the Sailing Capitol of the World and promises great race committee, great parties and a great atmosphere. Details, including a new NOR, schedule of events and information on visiting Annapolis, will be posted shortly. Please help Eastport Yacht Club, Fleet 18 and your J80 USA Executive Board in making this a great National Championship!

| 16 October 2007 | Updated NOR | 

J/80 momentum is cranking along worldwide and production has resumed in the USA with six boats already having shipped from Pearson Composites in Rhode Island. Current J/80 Midwinter and former J/80 World champion Kerry Klingler picked up Hull #1001 last month (see picture). Designer Rod Johnstone has sold his bigger J and will be sailing his new J/80 at the North Americans in November. The new 2008 USA model incorporates several features from the J/Europe J/80 while retaining the SCRIMP molding used on all previous USA built J/80s: New style rails and stanchions reduced to the 450mm class minimum height; Molded companionway step in lieu of old style ladder; Tack line clutch; Sparcraft France J/80 anodized spar package; J/Europe new style bowsprit and end fitting; All California gray deck; Harken carbo block upgrade; New style Ronstan jib tracks and plunger cars.

| 30 August 2007 | 

The 2007 North American Championship will be held at Lake Norman, North Carolina from November 8-11th. The event is being hosted by Lake Norman Yacht Club and J/80 Fleet 15 with J Boats West guru Don Trask heading up the event. This will be the perfect stop for Northeast US and Canada teams who are heading south to Key West and a convenient central location for teams coming from Texas and the mid-Atlantic. Please visit the USA J/80 Site for more details.

| 09 August 2007 | 

The Swedish J/80 Nationals took place at Sandhamn Island, off Stockholm during 26-28 July. 8 races were sailed during perfect sailing conditions; winds varying between 15-25 knots and perfect arrangements by the hosting club KSSS. The sailing conditions on the third day were like that of the Worlds in La Trinit with strong winds and big swells. 20 boats came to the starting line. For the 3rd time SWE 243 with Ingemar Sundstedt/Mikael Lindqvist took the title by winning 5 of the races and with 10 points as final result. 2nd finished SWE 621 with Fredrik Hallsten/Noel Barkelius, with two wins and 15 points, closely followed by SWE 621 Tomas Movin on 17 points. Tomas was the defending champion.

| 30 July 2007 | 

La Trinite, France: It first came as a surprise but the astonishing superiority of a strong Spanish contingent at the beginning of the week turned almost into a clean sweep as Santander's skippers Jose Maria Torcida Seghers and Ignacio Camino struggled against each other until the last and decisive 11th race. Torcida Seghers emerged as the new J/80 World Champion with an impressive 5 wins in 11 races.

"We came here with very limited objectives knowing we would face the word's best. We've only been sailing seriously and competitively in the J/80 since last October. We decided to train as a team with the entire 30 boat fleet gathered in Santander. All that hard work has paid off."

Germany's Ulrich Muenker's third place overall prevents the Spaniards from heading home with a unique grand slam in the J/80's World history. For the very first time, the Worlds winner does not come from the organizing country. 124 J80s entered this competition.

| 09 July 2007 | Read more | 

First a great showing at the America’s Cup, both as host country and a leading challenger, and now Spain is showing its stuff at the top of the one-design world with the top 3 placings with one day to go at the 2007 J/80 World Championship in La Trinite sur Mer, France. In what is likely to be the largest keelboat World Championship of the year (with 124 boats), three Spanish teams led by Jose Torcida Seghers, Ignacio Camino and Rayco Tabares are showing their heavy air prowess with a dominating performance. Four races were held today in the relatively “lighter” 15 knot conditions and even lighter winds are expected to shuffle the fleet on the final day of racing. All previous J/80 Worlds have been won by a team from the host country, but this is likely to change with the top 7 teams all from visiting countries. 3rd place is still within reach for several boats including defending champ Glenn Darden, as well as Ulrich Muenker of Germany and Kevin Sproul of Great Britain.

| 07 July 2007 | Read more | 

With 6 races complete and another 5 to go, Ignacio Camion of Spain leads the 124 boat fleet at the 2007 J/80 World Championship in La Trinite sur Mer, France. Spain is the newest country to adopt the J/80 as its one-design keelboat of choice (100 new boats delivered in the past 14 months with another 30 on order), and the results at the Worlds are showing. Fellow Spaniard Jose Torcida Seghers is in 2nd place just in front of Victor Lanier of France and Kevin Sproul of the UK. Five countries are represented in the top six teams with defending champ Glenn Darden of the USA in 5th and Ulirch Muenker of Germany in 6th. The fleet now splits into Gold and Silver divisions with all but one race carrying forward to the final tally.

RESULTS (with one discard)
1: Ignacio Camino, Spain "Nextel Engineering" (6 pts)
2: Jose Torcida Seghers, Spain "Ecc Viviendas" (9 pts)
3: Victor Lanier, France "Equipe de France Militaire Ecole Navale" (11 pts)
4: Kevin Sproul, Great Britain "The Duke" (12 pts)
5: Glenn Darken, United States "Le Glide" (20 pts)
6: Ulrich Muenker, Germany “Needles And Pins" (22 pts)
7: Sylvain Pellissier, France "Voilerie All Purpose" (24 pts)
8: Jean Queveau, France “Nantes St. Naarre) (22 pts)
9: Rayco Tabares, Spain “Hotel Princesa Yaiza” (26 pts)
10: Luc Nadal, France "Gan'ja" (28 pts)

| 06 July 2007 | Read more | 

Racing was cancelled on Day 2 of the 2007 J/80 Worlds due to high winds and seas. With the competitors awekening to 25-35 knot winds out of the Northeast, and no let-up in sight, the race organizers kept the boats in harbor for the day. The forecast for the rest of the week looks to be much improved and racing will continue on Thursday.

| 05 July 2007 | 

With 124 boats from 8 countries, the 2007 J/80 World Championship (in La Trinite sur Mer, France) kicked off with 3 qualifying races on opening day (Tuesday July 3rd). The fleet is split into four flights for a qualifying series, before being sorted into gold and silver divisions later in the week. With most of the qualifying races counting in the cumulative score, there’s no time for competitors to relax. Ignacio Camion and Jose Torcida Seghers, both of Spain, sailed nearly flawless to take the regatta lead. French match racing champion Victor Lanier is in 3rd, narrowly in front of Kevin Sproul of the UK and defending World Champ Glenn Darden of the USA.

RESULTS
1: Ignacio Camino, Spain "Nextel Engineering" (4 pts) (2,1,1,)
2: Jose Torcida Seghers, Spain "Ecc Viviendas" (6 pts) (1,4,1,)
3: Victor Lanier, France "Equipe de France Militaire Ecole Navale" (9 pts) (1,4,4,)
4: Kevin Sproul, Great Britain "The Duke" (11 pts) (7,1,3,)
5: Glenn Darken, United States "Le Glide" (12 pts) (4,6,2,)
6: Luc Nadal, France "Gan'ja" (14 pts) (5,2,7,)
7: Sylvain Pellissier, France "Voilerie All Purpose" (15 pts) (5,2,8,)
8: Ulrich Muenker, Germany “Needles And Pins" (17 pts) (2,7,8,)
9: Patrick Bot, France "Ecole Navale Cg29" (17 pts) (6,5,6,)
10: Nick Chery, Great Britain "Unlimited Sailing" (18 pts) (10,5,3,)

| 05 July 2007 | 

The entries are in, boats are arriving, and next Tuesday, the 2007 J/80 World Championship begins in La Trinite. The event will be double the size of any previous Worlds and defending champion Glenn Darden will have his work cut out, if he and his Texas team are to defend their title - something that has not happened in the seven year history of the event. Organizers plan to split the fleet into two divisions after a qualifying series. To see results, click on the worlds link on the left side of this home page.

| 28 June 2007 | 

The world championship in La Trinité has a record registration of 119 boats to date. This promises to be an oustanding event for all J80 fans. See you there!

| 19 June 2007 | 

Last year, the French J/80 Class Association developed an online measurement database to help owners and measurers keep track of certificates, sail tags and class dues. The site was then expanded and updated for all NCA's to participate. The site is now accessible by clicking on the MEASUREMENT button in the left column menu.

| 14 June 2007 | Read more | 

Paul and Marie Claude Heys won a challenging 6 race series to capture the Nexus J/80 UK National Championships last weekend in Cardiff Bay. Winds were generally light and the current strong, but thanks to the support of the Cardiff Harbour Authority, Nexus Marine and the able leadership of Chief Race Officer Mike Pearson, the event was very successful both on and off the water. Ian Atkins came second showing skills taken from the 1720 were not amiss in the J/80 and Simon Thomas and Scott Cole held up the honors of the home club in third.

| 11 June 2007 | Read more | 

The ISAF Sailor Classification certificate will be required upon registration for all helmsmen who are not the owner of their boat. This process can take up to one month, so competitors needing a certificate are advised to apply on the ISAF website as soon as possible. We have also implemented the new international measurement website. In that connection, the data regarding the measurement of your boat and your sails (2006 and 2007) have to be registered in the international measurement website before you arrive to the world championship. Please contact your national measurer in order to check that the data has been entered. You can access the new measurement website below in order to check the data on your boat (or any other).

| 29 May 2007 | Read more | 

The USA J/80 Class Association recently approved a bid from the California Yacht Club and J/80 USA Fleet #11 to host the 2008 J/80 North American Championships. The event will take place in Marina del Rey, CA from August 1-4, 2008. More details will be announced on the USA J/80 site.

| 21 May 2007 | 

Spi-Ouest Regatta in France will serve as the official European kick off for 2007 J/80 one-design racing season and (as of this post) has registered over 77 boats, a record for the class and an explosive 40% growth rate over the fleet at the event last year. Needless to say this will be the largest class at the event for the second year in a row.

J/80 demand is on the rise in a major way with over 100 new J/80s being built this year alone and production set to resume in the USA at Pearson Composites. J/80 is the official Royal Yachting Association training and match race keelboat, the choice training boat of the French Naval Academy, the latest new fleet in America’s Cup host nation, Spain, with a newly established J/80 one design fleet now in Italy. It is also the training boat of choice for J/World Sailing Schools around the world. J/80 is coming of age and 2007 promises to be a great year!

| 15 March 2007 | 

We are glad to inform you hat the Italian J80 class association has been created on December 19th 2006. Welcome to the new class association!
the link to their website is www.J80.it

| 21 January 2007 | Read more | 

US SAILING, national governing body for sailing in the USA, has awarded its prestigious St. Petersburg Yacht Club Trophy for excellence in race management to Corpus Christi Yacht Club in Corpus Christi, TX. Corpus Christi Yacht Club was selected from a list of 19 nominations for outstanding organization and execution of the J/80 World Championship held last July. The Trophy was presented to Commodore Steve Hastings, Teri Ficken, Regatta Chairman and Mark Foster, Principal Race Officer of Corpus Christi Yacht Club by US SAILING’s Race Management Committee Chair Jim Tichenor during an awards dinner at US SAILING’s Annual Meeting in Newport, R.I.

With 33 boats from five different nations, the host club had its hands full organizing this regatta and ensuring world-class racing. All skippers were asked to rate the race management and all gave very high ratings for mark setting accuracy and setting of marks, starting lines, finishing lines, signal visibility, course location, and reaction to wind. According to Teri Ficken, one of the things that put CCYC over the top in the scoring was 100% participation of the J/80 World Championship skippers. Congratulations to CCYC and the J/80 Class Association!

| 21 November 2006 | 

Light winds dominated the running of the 2006 J/80 North Americans held Sept 8-10 at Lake Winnepesake, NH. Calm winds prevented any racing on Friday, but six races were finished on the last two days, with the final race turning into a drifter with one finisher (Jason Balich's "Over Achiever") able to cross the line within the time limit. Congratulations to Kerry Klingler and his crew of Jay Lurie, Doug Lynn, and Neil Bresnan on "Lifted", the 2006 J80 North American Champions. The top three finishers were: 1st-Lifted (Kerry Klingler, Larchmont, NY), 2nd-US 352 (Blake Fleetwood, Amagansett, NY), 3rd-FKA (Les Beckwith, Wolfeboro, NH).

| 12 September 2006 | Read more | 

22 teams came to the starting line of the Swedish Nationals hosted by the Swedish Royal Yacht Club/KSSS. There were at least 5-6 challengers to win the races. Among them were former Olympic Gold medal winner Peter Sundelin. The event took place at Saltsjobaden close to Stockholm. The winds were very light and shifting, thus very difficult sailing conditions. KSSS did a great job on the water with 6 races completed and ashore with aftersail parties, daily firsts and a fantastic regatta party. The winning team, SWE 615 with Thomas Movin at the helm, sailed nearly flawless with a 1, (8), 2, 2, 5, 1. Second was SWE243 with Ingemar Sundstedt/Michael Lindqvist and 3rd SWE 387 Anders Karén. Thomas Movin is presently leading the Swedish ranking series in front of Anders Karén. The J80 Class had generous sponsors who arranged fantastic prizes to the winners. NORTH SAILS/CONTENDER sponsored the first prize being a new mainsail! Murphy & Nye and SLAM contributed generously for the 2nd and 3rd boats and GILL were sponsors of the daily firsts. Pictures and more info on www.skota.se and www.ksss.se

| 28 August 2006 | Read more | 

The 2007 J/80 World Championship will take place July 1-7 in La Trinite sur mer on the northwest coast of France. La Trinite, famous for the start of many ocean races and the home of the annual Spi Ouest Regatta, is one of the top sailing venues in France, and is in the heart of J/80 action in France. More details to follow.

| 28 July 2006 | 

Texas is famous for having the biggest and best of many things. Now they can add J/80 talent to the list. After 10 races and four days of racing at Corpus Christi, Glenn Darden was crowned the 2006 world champion, out gunning fellow Texans John Kolius, Scott Young and Rick Schaffer and the rest of the international fleet. While not a record sized fleet at 33 boats, the leaderboard was deep, with notable class champions Kerry Klingler (US), Ruairidh Scott (UK) and Jay Lutz (US) finishing up 5th, 7th and 9th respectively.

| 14 July 2006 | Read more | 

A fleet of nineteen boats (including travellers from Wales, the Westcountry and the East Coast) assembled on the Solent at the weekend to compete in the 2006 J/80 National Championship, hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble. Kevin Sproul (2nd at the 2005 Worlds) and his team of Adrian Gray, Helen Yates and Ben Duke on Silva Jane won the event by 10 points over Marie-Claude Heys on Jenga, on the strength of 3 bullets.

| 27 June 2006 | Read more | 

Benjamin Diouris and his crew of Nicolas Pauchet, Felix Pruvot and Thomas Le Breton, sailed a nearly flawless, consistent regatta to capture the 2006 J/80 European Championships held over the May 26-28 weekend in Brest, France. Representing the event host (ECOLE NAVALE), Diouris and team bested 37 boats from four countries (France, UK, Germany and Spain) in the 12-race, 2 discard series. Fellow countrymen Victor Lanier and Remy Arnaud took 2nd and 3rd place respectively, just ahead of Kevin Sproul of the UK.

| 30 May 2006 | Read more | 

The 2006 World championsip web site is up and running everybody is urged to sign up as soon as possible, Please note that the hotel the class will be using is the Omni, The class has secured special rate for the competitors.Omni at 361-887-1600 or on the web http://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/default.asp?h_id=60,
Thanks, Uzi Ozeri

| 06 March 2006 | 

Perennial J/80 class champion, Jay Lutz and his TX team recently won the J/80 Midwinter Championship held in conjuction with Premiere Racing's Key West Race Week. It was the windiest Key West on record, with most races sailed in 20+ knots of wind. The 19 J/80s thrived in the conditions, while many of their lighter sportboat cousins struggled.

John Storck, Jr., sailing with an all-family crew, broke up what was otherwise an all-Texas sweep, by finishing 2nd, followed by Rich Schaffer, Glen Darden and US Class President Uzi Ozeri. We expect to see all of these teams at the 2006 Worlds in Corpus Christie, TX in July. See results link here

| 10 February 2006 | Read more | 

The J/80 Class just received approval from ISAF for the 16 amendments submitted last fall in advance of the ISAF Annual Meeting. The Keelboat Committee did add minor revisions on the language but did not change the intent of any submission. A summary of the amendments and the 2006 J/80 Class Rules (effective March 1, 2006) are now posted on this site. Click on the "Rules" link on the menu to the left.

| 10 February 2006 | 

The European championship will take place in France in Brest from 22nd to 28th of May 2006. The event will get the support of the french Navy. The french class is working in making some boats for charter available. You will find more information and updates on:

| 14 December 2005 | Read more | 

The french nationals took place in La Rochelle from 10th to 13th of November. With 30 boats attending the events, including world champion, vice-world champion,and a spanish crew, the race became international. The wind conditions, from 5 to 25 knots made the race very balanced and interesting with 5 race winners. The french-navy crew was the most regular with 4 race victories and only 12 points. Second came the spanish crew of Iker Martinez de Lizardy who showed a nice regularity, and a second french-navy crew being third.

| 14 December 2005 | 

Scotsman Ruairidh Scott and is UK teammates aboard VOLVO won the Silva J/80 World Championship in Falmouth, UK last week, as 52 boats from 6 countries competed. The Royal Cornwall Yacht Club hosted the weeklong event, with Principal Race Officer Jeff Martin and his committee able to run 10 races over a five day period, despite several days of light wind conditions. Fellow Scotsman Kevin Sproul (Silva Dream Machine) finished second overall followed by Mikael Lindquist of Sweden, Laurent Abignoli of France and Peter Hecht and Ulrick Muenker of Germany in fifth. Five of the top 7 boats were from different countries and seven different boats were race winners.

| 20 July 2005 | Read more | 

June 22, 2005: The J/80 Executive and Technical Committees completed their review of rules change submissions and released a summary of the Rules Proposals for membership consideration. The class will now have a 60 day review period before the Executive Committee votes in August. All submissions that are approved by the ExCom will be submitted for ISAF approval and if subsequently approved, will become effective March of 2006. To be considered, proposals needed the support of at least one national class, a builder or the technical committee. Please find the summary of proposals on the “Rules” link.

| 30 June 2005 | 

The military Worlds ran in the Brest Roads on twenty J80s belonging to the French Navy.
Please find a link to photos.
A press release can be requested at the following address: cmmv39@hotmail.fr

Click to view photos.

| 31 May 2005 | 

2005 J80 North American Championship Regatta

The 2005 J80 North American Championship Regatta is now history. It’s was one of the hottest NA’s on record. I speak of the temperatures as well as the sailing. Galveston Bay produced record high heat with temperatures reaching the mid-nineties. It was not just the weather that was hot however as the light winds produced some hotly contested racing over three days. The high pressure system that was stationary over the southwestern US produced some unusual winds for Galveston Bay with Friday seeing very light Northwest winds in the morning. Race one started in 3 to 6 knots but after 3 legs it turned into a drifter that left many boats frustrated and at wits end while trying to reach the finish line. Positions shifted as much as 20 places during the final downwind leg.. The QUANTUM RACING Team was able to find the puffs and take the gun. Races 2 and 3 were started in winds out of the south to southeast (the sea breeze) and everybody was able to really start to stretch their legs. This breeze was cooler and consistently at about 5 to 7 knots. As the breeze went west, the Race Committee kept up and moved the windward mark giving everyone a chance to evaluate their tactical prowess. When the finishing gun went off, it was INFINITY that was at the line in race two. In the third race, Le GLIDE sailed a magnificent set of windward legs to take the final gun.

Friday night it was time to party Texas style. Barbeque brisket, chicken, and sausage filled in with grilled cabbage, beans, and all the jalapenos you could eat. The bar was a very popular spot as well as most folks were still dehydrated from the day!

Saturday was almost a repeat of Friday but winds were much more consistent and developed quickly in the morning. Race four produced another opportunity for a new boat to score a bullet and LIFTED was able to get the gun. There were four different boats taking first place in four different races. This regatta was far from being decided. Once again the winds lay down so everyone decided to go swimming, floating and what have you while the signal boat went off in search of the sea breeze. An hour or so later we were sailing once again in a southerly breeze toward the windward mark. Of course this was after two General Recalls by the RC, an "I" flag AND a “Z” flag. (Obviously, the boys were very anxious to show their stuff). The racing was tight but Le GLIDE showed everyone how to call the wind that day. They took a bullet in each of the last two races which positioned them with three first place finishes over the two days of racing.

Saturday night's party was at the pool with burgers, beer, music, and boasting by everyone to anyone that would listen. It was shaping up to be a shoot-out for the 2005 NA Champion.

Sunday dawned with a wonderful 7 to 10 knot south-southwest wind that promised to help make the determination of who would walk away with the regatta.. The PRO set up a five leg windward finish race that started much like Saturday. Once again it was necessary to have a General Recall and once again the “I” flag went up. When the boats settled down, the next start was a “Kodak Moment”. Everybody was off and headed upwind like somebody had told them there was free money for the first boat to make the windward mark. The wind on the other hand decided it was time become shifty with 20 degree swings catching many boats on the wrong side of the course. After three legs of ping pong like winds across the course, the wind said enough! Winds dropped to 1 to 3 knots and puffs were hard to come by. You have to hand it to Quantum Racing; these guys must “smell” wind. They took the gun in the seventh race to total out with 12 points in the Regatta.

The QUANTUM RACING Team, lead by John Kolius, is the new 2005 J80 North America Champions. Congratulations, Guys. Well Done!

PRO Brad Davis, who travelled from the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, did an exceptional job of managing the challenging conditions to complete seven races. Kudos to him and his RC for a job well done.

Special thanks to Fleet #2, headed by Fleet Captain Clay Morrison, for putting on a great event!

| 23 May 2005 | Read more | 

The J/80 class rules submission from Aug 2004, regarding the jib leech profile, was approved by ISAF. A copy of this approval and the updated rules (as of March 1, 2005) can be viewed by clicking the RULES button on the main menu.

| 25 March 2005 | 

The North American Championship will be held May 18-22, 2005 and hosted by the Lakewook Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX. For NOR, Entry, Entry List, and additional information go to the web site:

| 24 March 2005 | Read more | 

The J/80 USA Midwinter Championship (at Key West Race week) was recently won by Rick Schaffer on C`EST NASTY and his seasoned crew of Joe Sircely, Paul Brigenzer and David Hiebert. They sailed a challenging nine-race series over 5 days with winds ranging from 5 knots to over 35 knots gusts. In second place was SOONER MAJIC skippered by Mac Kilpatrick followed by John Storck on RUMOR. The long distance award went to Noel Barkelius and his team from Stockholm, Sweden who made the long trip, won race #4 and finished 6th overall.

1. C’EST NASTY, Rick Schaffer Fort Worth, TX - 22;

2. SOONER MAGIC, Mac Kilpatrick Oklahoma City, OK - 23;

3. RUMOR, John Storck, Jr. Huntington, NY - 26;

4. WILD HARE, Claude Welles, Austin, TX - 38;

5. EMOTIONAL RESCUE, John DiMatteo, Annapolis, MD - 40.

| 30 January 2005 | Read more | 

The Royal Cornwall Yacht Club of Falmouth is delighted to be chosen to host the 2005 World Championship of the ISAF class J/80. Falmouth is the jewel in the crown of sailing and a well kept Cornish secret. The port boasts the third deepest harbour in the world and has a magnificent bay ideal for keelboat racing. Falmouth has excellent road, rail, ferry & air links with Europe and therefore makes an ideal location for world class sailing events. The town has a wide range of accommodation from budget campsites to 4 star hotels.
The Championship series will be 10 races sailed in Falmouth bay. The Bay accommodates windward/leeward courses of up to 2 ½ mile beats laid typically within 3 miles of Marina facilities where all boats will be berthed during the championships. Launch and recovery is likely to be at Falmouth Docks immediately opposite the marina.
The RCYC has a successful record of hosting major sailing events and has just successfully completed the 2004 Dragon “Gold Cup”.
The J/80 is ideally suited to the sea conditions frequently found in Falmouth Bay. It is a modern, tough, 8 metre trailable sportsboat that gives challenging close racing. It sets a 65 sq. metre gennaker which gives exciting down wind sailing.
For further information, please contact:

Royal Cornwall Yacht Club
Peter Maddock, Hon Sailing Secretary
Tel. 01326 317190
E-mail sailing@royalcornwallyachtclub.org
www.royalcornwallyachtclub.org
J80 UK Class Association
Roger Hollingsworth, Chairman
Tel. 01326 378965
E-mail roger.hollingsworth1@btinternet.com
http://www.j80.org.uk/

J Boats UK (boat charter)
Becci Eplett
Tel. +44 023 80 455669 e-mail becci@j-uk.com

Accommodation.
For details of the area and available accommodation, please contact:
Falmouth Tourist Information Centre
E-mail: falmouthtic@yahoo.co.uk
28 Killigrew Street
or visit http:/www.go-cornwall.com
Falmouth TR11 3PN - Tel. 01326 312300

| 04 September 2004 | 

Peder Arvefors of Sweden, sailing SWE 200 OUTER SPACE, saved his best for last to win the 2004 J/80 Worlds in Sandhamn, Sweden. With an impressive 2, 2, 1 in the final three races, the OUTER SPACE team edged out former world champion Kerry Klingler and 54 other teams to capture the 2004 title. This was the largest J/80 regatta to date and featured all three of the former world champions, Klingler (2001), Pascal Abignoli (2002) and Jay Lutz (2003).

“I didn´t think about the results, I just tried to do my best together with my dream team,” said Peder, who sailed with his sister Tintan (who finished 4th at the 2001 Worlds in Newport), his 13 year old son, plus Martin and Magnus Grävare, former Olympic sailors for Sweden.

Final results after ten races: Points
1. Peder Arvefors, SWE 59
2. Kerry Klingler, Robert Miller, USA 65
3. Ingemar Sundstedt, SWE 80
4. Anthony Merrington, SWE 81
5. Gustav Nilsson, SWE 84

| 06 August 2004 | Read more | 

From Jeff Johnstone, J/80 Class Sect: The ISAF-approved Class Constitution is now posted under the Rules section of the website. In addition a typographical error has been corrected on CLASS RULE #G.3.3 and #G.4.2 that pertain to the distances of the battens from the corners of the main and jib: The J/80 Class Submission #19 (submitted last fall to ISAF) established new MINIMUM dimensions under these rules, which ISAF approved. The generated .pdf file of the updated Class Rules March 1, 2004 does not clearly identify whether the measurements should be minimum or maximum.

OLD G.3.3
Head point to intersection of leech and centreline of uppermost batten pocket 1970 mm.
Clew point to intersection of leech and centreline of lowermost batten pocket 1930 mm.

OLD G.4.2
Head point to intersection of leech and centreline of uppermost batten pocket 2200 mm.
Clew point to intersection of leech and centreline of lowermost batten pocket 2050 mm.

We have made the appropriate correction to the Class Rules posted on the International site so that it now reads:

NEW G3.3
Head point to intersection of leech and centreline of uppermost batten pocket Min 1970 mm.
Clew point to intersection of leech and centreline of lowermost batten pocket. Min 1930 mm.

NEW G.4.2
Head point to intersection of leech and centreline of uppermost batten pocket Min 2200 mm.
Clew point to intersection of leech and centreline of lowermost batten pocket Min 2050 mm.

| 05 August 2004 | 

The inclement combination of dense fog, rain & high winds prevented resumption of the last scheduled race on Sunday. A total of seven races of disparate conditions were sailed and Glenn Darden and Team Le Glide earned 1st place. Congratulations Le Glide for a terrific showing of how to move a J80 quickly around a race course.

Jay Lutz and Synergy crew took a 1 point advantage over Kerry Klingler (USA 352) for second and third place respectively.

Many thanks to everyone who attended the largest J80 regatta EVER in New York waters! Click here for the results!

| 06 June 2004 | Read more | 

The 2004 Worlds will be held July 26-31 in Sandhamn, Sweden. For more information, click on the logo:

| 03 February 2004 | Read more | 

Go to the USA Class Forum, Events and Scheduling, for details about marina and boat accomodations in Key West. We have secured a great marina in Historic Key West Bight. Start finalizing your plans now.

| 04 November 2003 | 

Jay Lutz and crew Joe Taylor, Derek Gauger, and Alex Crowell bested a 49 boat J/80 fleet to capture the 2003 Worlds in Fort Worth, TX. America's cup veteran John Kolius was second followed by Christer Faith-Ell of Sweden. Click the link to see all the news and results.

| 18 October 2003 | Read more | 

you have not entered!

PAY BY SEPT. 15 OR SUFFER THE LATE FEE.

| 06 September 2003 | Read more | 

Nautica has signed on as a sponsor for the 2003 Worlds. The Worlds organizers are offering this gear for sale to anyone that loves the J80, the class, and the Worlds event. Please consider buying these great products at great prices. Proceeds support the Worlds.

| 06 September 2003 | Read more | 

Good News. Nautica has signed on to help sponsor the J-80 World Championship to be held at the Fort Worth Boat Club, Fort Worth, Texas, USA. Because of this, prices for the Nautica Collared Short Sleeve Shirt will be lowered to $30 US and the Nautica Long Sleeve Tee Shirts will be lowered to $18 US. We will also be offering a Nautica fleece garment with the description and price to be announced soon. A new Registration Form will be forthcoming on the Worlds web site with these changes. Refunds for boats that have already entered and ordered shirts will be provided at registration.

As a reminder. The completed entry form and the entry fee of $325.00 US must be received by the Organizing Committee on or before Sept. 15, 2003. Late entries with the corresponding late fee of $200.00 US may be accepted at the discretion of the Regatta Committee up to Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2003. No entries will be accepted after October 1, 2003.

| 20 July 2003 | 

Welcome to the new j80.org website! This is the new International Class Association home page which will have links to all the national home pages. Please take a few minutes to enjoy the photography and take a peek at the new USA site as well.

| 01 June 2003 |