Ridiculous…

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Really, it’s just nuts.  Completely ridiculous.  The winter weather in Puerto Vallarta is something to behold. Rick, our lead instructor in PV, has been reporting impeccable sailing conditions which our J/80s have been loving, and yesterday yours truly made it out on the water on the Surfin’ 65 cat Profligate.

Yesterday was the the final day of the Banderas Bay Blast, a fun-focused, low-key ‘race’ spread out over three days which goes harbor/anchorage hoping and serves as a fundraiser for the schoolchildren in the area. It was pretty much a perfect day.  There was a bit of surf out at the starting area.  A great breakfast on the beach.  Then it was out to the boats on a panga (our driver got a bit, shall we say, ‘sporty’ in the surf).  And finally, the headliner, a downwind spinnaker run to Paradise Village.

A fun crew, perfect weather, quick boat, what more could anyone ask for?  Oh yes, the whales…

Lots  of whales playing about.  Tough to see there in the background mostly because the limitations of my phone camera, but you get the idea.

If you want a getaway for some idyllic winter sailing, this really is the spot.  And J World has plenty of options to get you out on the water!

                                             

Sunshine and Daydreams…

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The San Diego Hot Rum is a tremendously fun event…  In the days-long-gone (before the Age of Litigation) the entry fee was a bottle of rum (or a couple, depending on the size of your crew).  While the sailors were finding their way around the racecourse, all the entry fees were ‘compiled’ in large vats, to which copious amount of whatever constitutes ‘hot butter’ were added, and voila…  the makings far a great post race winter party were complete.

Nowadays, everything is pretty much the same.  The boats may be sleeker and faster but the weather and good times persist.  That picture above is San Diego in late November, Hot Rum #2 of 2013, beautiful day, big fleet, and Point Loma lurking in the background.  Somewhere close to 80 degrees.  Not too shabby.

Things running full tilt right now in San Diego and Puerto Vallarta.  Get your sailing on.

Cheers,

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

 

Mid-Whaters??

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Seriously?  Mid-winters already?  Hard to believe that the summer is gone, but seems to be so…

But the beautiful thing about the West Coast is that when winter comes, the sailing doesn’t go away!  This is hot off the presses for you SF Bay Sailors:

Members of J/World’s BoatShare program will be participating in RegattaPRO’a WINTER ONE DESIGN INVITATIONAL SERIES aboard a J/105 with a J/World coach aboard.

They are looking for 2-3 enthusiastic crew members to join the team…  Race dates will be November 9th, December 14th, January 11th and February 8th. Two races per day are scheduled. First Warning each day is 1130 hrs.  The intended racing area will be the Berkeley Circle area. Courses will be windward/leeward courses.

The cost will be based on the total number of participants and will be a nominal sharing of the fee for the coach.  Contact us here at J World for additional details…The first race is Saturday November 9, so we are looking to solidify the crew early next week.  Please email us at info@sailing-jworld.com or call us at 510-271-4780.

Impossible…

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Last week, hot on the heels of the America’s Cup, was the 2013 Rolex Big Boat Series.  Could San Francisco possibly have been more beautiful for this event?  No, I think not…  absolutely impossible.

J/120s
The classic short final run to the finish off St. Francis YC
The J105 fleet charging off the line…

We posted a lot of pictures on our website.  Feel free to download and use whatever you like.  For online use, we just ask that you add a credit and link to our website,  www.sailing-jworld.com

Thanks to Swiftsure II for the cookies.  And Walloping Sweede for the brownies.  And Desdemona for the Bloody Marys and cerveza…  gracias amigos!

All the best,

The J World Team

The Show

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Ok, we’ve been pretty silent in our postings because the sailing scene around here has been anything but quiet.  I don’t even know where to start in talking about the America’s Cup.  I will be the first to admit that I had my reservations about the whole thing going into it, not the least of which were that the boats were too bleeding edge and the teams too few.

But in the end, it proved to be one of the best and most dramatic sailing events, ever.  Man, what a great show.  The boats were simply staggering to watch.  The drama of how the event unfolded couldn’t have been written any better.

The whole Cup came down to one final race, with OTUSA tied on points with the Kiwi ETNZ.  Both teams were fantastic, and the Kiwis really are the reason the event was so great.  Without their fast boat, solid team, and admirable sportsmanship, this event would have never been the spectacle it was.  That said, the comeback by the Americans to win it after being down 8-1 in points was mind blowing.  That’s them above on their victory fly-by the cityfront (with New Zealand in the background)…  and boy was it ever chaos on the Bay…  look at that spectator fleet near the finish line!

And here we go, OTUSA heading for the barn with the fleet in pursuit….

And just for grins, here’s the replica of the America, the boat that started it all and loaned it’s name to the the trophy….

Congrats to OTUSA.  And thank you to ETNZ.  And here’s to hoping the next round will be in SF again, and will be as much fun as this one!

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

Cool on the Bay…

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Sailing/working with the Extreme 40 “Nespresso” at the America’s Cup venue this week…

Very cool boat.  Very cool fleet.  Pretty impressive scene that they have going on over in Europe (and elsewhere on the world circuit). Seriously, “elite level stadium racing?”  So just when you think, “Man, why can’t the America’s Cup be like this?” your cool-ness gets eclipsed, put in perspective, as it were:

Ok, that’s very cool too, in a wholly different way.  The AC is something totally different.  Not better, not worse, just other.  For all the foibles and politics and legal battles of the AC, when you see these things at speed in close quarters you realize that the boats and what all the teams have created is absolutely astounding.  They truly are awesome…  the boats – and the sailors of these machines – are nothing short of impressive.

Now back to reality:  what would it take to get an Extreme 40 circuit going around here?  Seriously, go here and check out any of the races…

Wayne Zittel

2014 Pacific Cup Charters Available

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J World has a couple of charterboats available for the 2014 Pacific Cup.  They are available bareboat to fully qualified teams, or with J World coaches aboard.

We have a 40 foot J/120 available, and a 50 footer with a full pedigree.  It is rare and difficult to find a boat that is offshore race ready on the charter market, so if you are interested you definitely want to contact us soon!  800-910-1101

2013 Transpac Photos

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The newly refit Hula Girl in Long Beach…
…and Hula Girl looking at home in Hawaii some 2,225 miles later!
Thanks to Sea Bags for the cool swag!
The famous Transpac Row, Ala Wai Marina, Honolulu
Some of the Huligans at the awards ceremony

25 Mile Check-in!!!

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Just got a call from Transpac Race Committee that Hula Girl and the boys are 25 nautical miles out from the Diamond Head finish!!!  That puts them there at 5:30 p.m. HST and about 45 minutes later at the dock.  Though I’m not on the boat, I’ve been there several times before… No matter where you are in your fleet, the anticipation of landfall and the reflection on an immense personal and team accomplishment is wondrous when you make that 100 mile call… And then that 25 mile call…  (and you begin to salivate and think you smell pineapple and rum!!!)

25 miles to go, and I’m beyond proud of our team.  On most days I might have a beer after work.  Tonight I’m going to have a Mai Tai!

Nice job guys!

Barry

Land Ho!

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Monday lunchtime now, and we are reaching down the north shore of Molokai with a 2A spinnaker up, coasting towards the finish off Diamond Head. We should be in before Happy Hour ends. The fun thing about these races to Hawaii is that they are everything a good ocean race should be. They are exhausting and motivating. They are frustrating and gratifying. They boring and exciting. They are finesse and strength. They really do have it all, and are a roller coaster of a ride – mentally, physically, emotionally. As an ocean race should be. The sweetest successes are the ones we earn, and the accomplishments of our Hula Girl Team in the 2013 Transpac are precisely that: well earned and sweet indeed…. sweet like the Mai Tais waiting for us just over yonder…

We started off in Los Angeles with a crew of nine: three J World coaches and six sailors who – for the most part – had never sailed together before, nor sailed on a boat like Hula Girl. So our first challenge was to create a real team out of the disparate group. Then, as if that weren’t enough, an unlucky break in the first day (getting stuck in a windless hole) put before us another mountain to scale… we needed to catch up to our fleet. But what a year to be behind… the racecourse this time was uncharacteristically shifty and challenging…. it was a tough Transpac year.

I’ll cut to the chase: now, after we executed perfect gybe and have the finish line in sight, I can definitively say that this group – no, this TEAM – has truly impressed me with the their ability to conquer these goals…. and, more than that: they impressed me with the style of how they did it. Everyone busted their backs, driving, trimming, grinding, and we hammered back into the fleet. Seriously impressive speed, smoothly executed maneuvers, and (put simply) a well-sailed race. We picked off almost half the fleet, and had the rest looking nervously over their shoulders.. And we still have a shot at getting past a couple more boats… it’s too close to call. Another reason it’s a great race: 2225 miles across an ocean, over 11 days of non-stop racing, and we are going to have some close finishes. Good times indeed.

And beyond the success of climbing back into the race… what a blast we had doing it! It truly was an absolute pleasure sailing with each of our crew: Don, Dave, Tom, Mario, Tommy, and Peter, and coaches Geoff and Chris. The laughs cabin, the all night conversations in the cockpit, the overall collaboration was all so very great to see. I know I can say that I feel like I’m coming out of this race with a half dozen new friends…

What makes the races to Hawaii truly GREAT races is the fact that the scale always tilts, at the end of the day, towards the positive…. the sailing, the people, the great challenge of crossing an ocean. And I can say that this Transpac was a great race. Thanks to the race organizers and volunteers.  Thanks to J World team supporters: Atlantis Weathergear, Team McLube, Expedition Software and Almar Marinas. Thanks especially to our friends and families that support our crazy ambitions.

But most of all, thanks to the crew of Hula Girl, a true bunch of (now certified) Hulagins with which I’d be happy to sail again… anywhere, anytime. Thanks tremendously, guys!

I’m going to go outside and enjoy the final push to Honolulu right now… we are about to punch into the breezy Molokai Channel and reach down to the finish line off Diamond Head. And it feels nice.

All the best,

Wayne Zittel and the Hula Girl Team

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