2015 J/111 World Championship - Day 2 report

by Stuart Johnstone on 18 Jun 2015 After a challenging first day of sailing offshore, the twenty-five teams sailing the J/111 Worlds were treated to a “Newport Chamber of Commerce” day for their second day on the race track. Starting off with the captain’s meeting at 9am Wednesday morning, the Ida Lewis YC PRO Peter Garard announced to the fleet that it was going to be an “inside the Bay Day” and to be prepared to sail two races, a first race windward-leeward followed by the long distance race “Bay Tour”.

The morning dawned with a gorgeous sunrise, winds howling out of the north at 20-30 kts. The forecast was for winds to ultimately diminish into the 10-18 kts range by the start at 11am from 30-40 degrees and veer to the east, in an oscillating-persistent shift to 90 degrees or so by late afternoon. As it turned out, the forecast was not far off and it made for a spectacular day of sailing on Narragansett Bay.

The starting area for the first race was immediately west of the northern end of Gould Island and the famous “US Navy torpedo range” buildings. Fast off the start was Chris Jones’ Wild Child, nailing the starboard end start and covering the fleet going off on starboard tack. One of the first boats to flip onto port tack was Rob Ruhlman’s Spaceman Spiff. Ultimately, it was the right move as they led the fleet off to the right hand corner of the first weather leg to lead the fleet around the first mark and win the race. Second was George Gamble’s My Sharona and third was Bob Hesse’s Lake Effect.

The second race was the Navigator’s Long Distance Race. The fleet was given a long 3.5nm windward leg to the green gong in the straits formed by the southern end of Prudence Island and Dyer Island on the northeastern part of the Bay. This was followed by a reach to the red bell of the NE corner of Jamestown (Conanicut Island), then a spinnaker reach, then a fetch east across the Bay, then a long run down to the green Clingstone Rock bell and to the finish off Fort Adams. The race was such that the first beat determined the pecking order for most of the fleet. It also meant choosing which side of the Bay to hit a corner, go left up along Conanicut Island and play shifts into the green buoy or go right to the Portsmouth shoreline for current relief and perhaps large right hand shifts off the shore. Off the start, the British team on Wild Child skippered by Chris Jones again nailed the RC committee boat start and took off to the right leading the fleet. Another pack of boats started towards the left end of the line (including Gamble’s MY Sharona, Ruhlman’s Spaceman Spiff, Bob Hesse’s Lake Effect and David and Maryellen Tortorello’s Partnership) and played a completely different wind/current strategy to the far left hand side of the race course. At the first windward mark, that pack remarkably led the fleet around the first mark. First in from the right hand side grouping was Jones’ Wild Child. From there on end it was essentially a parade around the marks to the finish line.

Gamble’s My Sharona won the last race and is now leading the J/111 Worlds with a nine – eight – two - one for 20 pts and the only boat with all single digit finishes. Taking fifth in that race and now lying second overall is Ruhlman’s Spaceman Spiff with an eighteen – one – one - five tally for 25 pts. By virtue of their second in the last race, Hesse’s Lake Effect is now third overall with a ten – twelve – three - two for 27 pts. Jumping into fourth overall is the Tortorello’s Partnership with a three – ten – ten - four for 27 pts and in fifth is Martin Dent’s Jelvis with a one – six – fourteen - seven for 28 pts.

Top 10 results

Place - Sail# - Name – Owner - Results
1. USA 61666 - My Sharona - George Gamble - 9-8-2-1= 20
2. USA 93 - Spaceman Spiff - Rob Ruhlman - 18-1-1-5= 25
3. USA 60365 - Lake Effect - Bob Hesse - 10-12-3-2= 27
4. USA 16 - Partnership - David and Maryellen Tortorello - 3-10-10-4= 27
5. GBR 2615R - Jelvis - Martin Dent - 1-6-14-7= 28
6. USA 43 - Wind Czar - Richard Lehmann - 8-3-15-3= 29
7. USA 89 - Wooton - William Smith - 17-2-4-11= 34
8. USA 3 - Perseverance - Bennett Greenwald - 4-14-7-12= 37
9. GBR 7751R - Wild Child - Chris Jones - 16-13-9-6= 44
10. GBR 7611R - Shmokin Joe - Duncan McDonald/Phil Thomas - 14-5-17-9=45