PRELIMINARY RESULTS

J/105 NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP REGATTA UPDATE #2

For Immediate Release: Saturday, September 21, 2002

LIGHT, SHIFTY WINDS MAKE FOR CHALLENGING DAY OF RACING

CHICAGO – The second day of this year’s J/105 North American Championships held at Chicago Yacht Cub began with clear skies and a brisk southwest wind that allowed intense spinnaker practice as each boat left Monroe Harbor for the starting line. As the starting time approached, the wind shifted west then died.

The lighter winds were welcome by everyone, since the midnight oil was burned by several competitors and sailmakers as they repaired the previous day’s carnage. Once the wind died, it never settled into any consistent pattern, frustrating sailors and the race committee alike.

The committee did manage to run two races in light and shifty conditions. The first race of the day saw a major wind shift that scattered the fleet. One boat that was in sixth place at the first two marks actually finished forty-sixth in the fifty-boat fleet after the shift.

Bob Johnstone, cofounder of J-boats and owner of the J/105 Tern 7, said, “It was an incredible day of racing. The conditions were both interesting and challenging. Our goal was to finish the day in the top five. Not easy to do with the wind we experienced on Lake Michigan today. It was pretty easy to slip from leading the pack to half way down the fleet.”

Tern 7 finished 17 and 7, moving them up to fifth place overall.

Preliminary leaders:

1. Zuni Bear, Alameda, Calif.
2. Peregrine, Arnold, Md.
3. Blue Max, Corpus Christi, Texas
4. Masquerade, San Francisco, Calif.
5. Tern 7, Charleston, S.C.

 

FINAL RESULTS
J/105 NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP REGATTA UPDATE #3

For Immediate Release: Sunday, September 22, 2002

SHIFTY WINDS CONTINUE TO CHALLENGE SAILORS

CHICAGO - The J/105 North American Championship competitors woke to a passing cold front that dumped more rain on the city of Chicago, and dampened more than one crew's spirits. The rain eased off a little and as everyone left for the starting line, the wind was brisk from the south. Several of the Canadian crews donned their winter caps, commenting that it felt more like hockey weather.

Then, as happened so many times during the weekend, the wind shifted and a decent west wind prevailed as the starting time for the first race approached.

What happened after the first gun was essentially a repeat of all the conditions experienced over the weekend. The race committee ran three completely unique races; one with ten to fifteen knots of wind, one with twenty to twenty-five, and the final with everything in between. One fatigued racer mentioned that it seemed that the last race was the average of all the other races combined.

The racing became a gambling event, and playing the odds of where to be at what time was what really paid off. Each race experienced a myriad of conditions, keeping the very capable race committee on their toes, allowing several boats to make significant gains and others to lose the farm.

"It was a historic event, having fifty J/105's here in Chicago for the North American Championships," reflected Bob Smith, a competitor and the race chairman. "Mother Nature showed her best, making an incredible weekend of racing. All in all, we are very pleased with the results of the regatta."

As the sun set on Chicago and on the eighth annual J/105 North American Championships at the Chicago Yacht Club, Steve Phillips' Peregine was awarded the first place trophy.

Final Race results:

1. Peregrine, Steve Phillips of Arnold, MD
2. Hoss, Darden/Hillard/Williamson of Fort Worth TX
3. Tern 7, Bob and Stu Johnstone of Charleston, CS
4. Phantom/Hooked on Tonics, Alexander Cutler of Annapolis, MD
5. Phantom/Eclipse, Damian Emery of Shoreham, NY

Final race results are available at www.chicagoyachtclub.org.

About the J/105 North American Championship

Nearly 50 J/105 boats from all over the country and Canada gathered at the Chicago Yacht Club for the eighth annual North American Championship regatta, Sept. 19-22.

The event, a three-day offshore regatta with seven races, was the largest yet of the annual J/105 North American championships, with nearly 50 boats representing 10 different U.S. regions. J/105s were designed and built by J/Boats, Inc. (the Johnstone family) in 1991, and were named Sailing World's Boat-of-the-Year among racer-cruisers in 1992. The boats are designed to be both family cruisers and intense competitive sailing vessels.

"We were thrilled with the turnout for this year's J/105 North American Championship," said, Robert Smith, race chair. "Many of the crews are partially made up of families, which is rare in a regatta this size, and has certainly lead to an interesting few days."

Racers of note who took part include Bob Johnstone, co-founder of J/Boats, Inc., his son Stu, a Chicagoan who is on the board of directors, and his nephew Jim Johnstone, who is company sales director.