Green lights aglow for the 2017 J/111 Worlds at St. Francis Yacht Club

by St. Francis Yacht Club on 24 Aug 2017 Pre-racing excitement is already blowing around the docks at St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, California, where the 2017 J/111 Worlds are set to take place from Thursday, August 24 through Sunday, August 27. Teams are evaluating gear, re-flaking sails and triple-checking standing rigging while also taking advantage of breezy pre-racing weather to sample San Francisco Bay’s conditions. While competition seems contained on the docks, odds are excellent that the gloves will come off once the first warning signal sounds at 1125 hours on Thursday.

Weather can always be a wild card for any regatta, but St. Francis Yacht Club’s talented racing staff and volunteers are planning on facilitating three windward-leeward races for Thursday and Friday on the Berkeley Circle, which is situated some seven nautical miles to the northeast of the clubhouse. While located a short commute away, the shallow Berkeley Circle is characterized by steady, consistent currents, evening the playing field for visiting teams and teams stacked with local knowledge.

“It’s a world-class venue to showcase the sailing performance characteristics of the J/111,” said Jeff Johnson, the regatta’s Principal Race Officer.

The J/111 Class has enjoyed three previous world-championship regattas, held off of Cowes, UK (2014 and 2016) and Newport, Rhode Island (2015), making 2017 the first time these capable and quick keelboats have competed for their highest honors on the Left Coast.

“I’m happy to welcome J/111 sailors with West Coast hospitality and an unparalleled racecourse for the fourth-annual J/111 Worlds,” said Jenn Lancaster, St. Francis Yacht Club’s newly appointed Race Director. “I’m excited to be involved with this regatta, and it’s a great initiation into running world championships on San Francisco Bay.”

For their part, competitors are looking forward to experiencing August on San Francisco Bay. “We started sailing last year,” said Jason Currie, a New Zealand native and a current resident of Annapolis, Maryland, who is racing aboard Jim Connelly’s Slush Fund (USA 119). “The boat was brand new to the owner, and it’s his first time competing on this level. We got some new heavy-air sails for this regatta, a new bottom job and bottom paint, and we spent a lot of time pulling the whole package together, including new halyards and electronics. Also, we arrived on Monday and have spent the last two and a half days practicing.”

As for the racing ahead, Currie’s thoughts parallel that of his competition. “We’re looking forward to close racing and big breeze,” said Currie. “Annapolis is usually light air, so this will be interesting for us!”

While there’s a slight chance San Francisco-based boats might have an initial advantage over their out-of-town rivals if the breeze starts blowing dogs off chains, this certainly doesn’t apply to all visitors. “We have big breeze in Melbourne,” said Rod Warren, skipper of the Australian-flagged Joust (AUS 1110), who is here representing the Sandringham Yacht Club. “It’s probably stronger back home but it’s not as consistent as it is here, so we’re really looking forward to the wind and the fun.”

In total, there are eight teams competing for this world-championship title, with four boats from the Bay Area, one boat from Los Angeles, two from Annapolis, Maryland, and one boat—Rod Warren’s Joust—from down under, making this an especially close-knit competition. Interestingly, while all teams arrived expecting breeze-on conditions, current forecast models are calling for lighter-than-average airs for the next four days, potentially tipping an advantage to teams also quick in the sticky stuff. However, weather models have certainly been known to “evolve” with time.

Finally, St. Francis Yacht Club is pleased to announce that the Club successfully applied for and was granted Clean Regatta status from the environmental non-profit group Sailors For the Sea for this regatta. Please visit www.stfyc.com/j111worlds2017 for more information on this exciting regatta.