North American one-design action—Sailing news from Canada and beyond
by David Schmidt, Sail-World North America on 26 Sep 2015
Nightshift, Sail Number: USA 40076, Owner: Kevin McNeil, Tactician: Chris Larson, Home Port: Annapolis, MD, USA , Yacht Type: Farr 40, Length: 40 Flash Gordon 6, Sail Number: USA 60002, Owner: Helmut Jahn, Tactician: Morgan Larson, Home Port: Chicago, IL, USA , Yacht Type: Farr 40, Length: 40 - 2015 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship Rolex/ Kurt Arrigo
http://www.regattanews.com
While the autumnal equinox has come and gone for the year 2015, that doesn’t mean that the sailboat-racing season is over in North America, at least not yet. And while the sailing calendar is still pregnant with handicap regattas for big boats, this week features some high-end racing from three prominent One Design classes, namely the J/70 North Americans (September 23 to 27), the Farr 40 Worlds (September 24 to 27), and the Melges 20 Worlds (September 30 to October 3).
The J/70 class was only launched a few years ago, but it has already grown to more than 350 boats across more that 15 different countries. The class held its first World Championship in 2014, and this summer the fleet gathered in La Rochelle, France for their second Worlds.
Now, some 50 boats from the North American fleet have amassed at the San Diego Yacht Club for their 2015 North American Championship. To date, the event has experienced plenty of Southern California sunshine and fairly light airs, and the forecast calls for similar winds over the next few days, possibly with a bit of patchy fog.
Speaking of Southern California, the Farr 40 Worlds are currently taking place off of Long Beach, California and are being hosted by the Long Beach Yacht Club. Seventeen different teams have gathered from all over the world for this Grand Prix event, and-to date-the regatta has been defined by (mostly) flat water and light breeze, testing each team’s light-air sail-handling skills (and sail inventories).
Flash Gordon 6, Sail Number: USA 60002, Owner: Helmut Jahn, Tactician: Morgan Larson, Home Port: Chicago, IL, USA , Yacht Type: Farr 40, Length: 40 Groovederci, Sail Number: USA 7289, Owner: John Demourkas, Tactician: John Kostecki, Home Port: Santa Barbara, CA, USA , Yacht Type: Farr 40, Length: 40 - 2015 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship © Rolex/ Kurt Arrigo http://www.regattanews.com
According to NOAA’s forecast, the Farr 40 Worlds fleet will likely be looking at 5-10 knots of air, with puffs up to 15 knots, for the rest of their regatta, as well as plenty of Southern California sunshine and blue skies. Aside from possibly a touch more wind, what’s not to like?
White Knight, Sail Number: USA 888, Owner: Zoltan Katinszky, Tactician: Scott Munch, Home Port: San Pedro, CA, USA , Yacht Type: Farr 40, Length: 40 Cal Maritime, Sail Number: USA 69, Owner: Cal Maritime, Tactician: Johannes McElvain, Home Port: Vallejo, CA, USA , Yacht Type: Farr 40, Length: 40 - 2015 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship © Rolex/ Kurt Arrigo http://www.regattanews.com
Meanwhile, just up the coast, the San Francisco Yacht Club will be hosting the hotly contested Melges 20 Worlds. While this class has been afloat longer than the J/70, it (typically) tends to reward teams that involve an owner/driver and a crew of professional sailors. Because of this, some of the best One Design sailors on the planet will on hand to determine the fastest gun in this talent-riven regatta.
The Melges 20 Worlds will start with a Pre-Worlds regatta (September 28-29), immediately followed by the main event, with racing taking place on the (typically) wind-scoured waters of San Francisco Bay.
Still, as North America shifts towards its autumn colors, San Francisco’s wind machine tends to downshift several gears, so it will be interesting to see what sort of conditions Mother Nature serves up, and it will be even more interesting to learn what teams are the most adaptable to a wide variety of conditions.
Be sure to stay tuned to the website over the weekend for the latest news from these high level events, as they unfurl.
Also inside this issue, get the latest downloads from the U.S. Offshore Sailing Championship, the Snipe Worlds and the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
And finally, be sure to pay attention to the night sky on Sunday/Monday, as we are being treated to a rare “super blood moon”, thanks to a confluence of the lunar cycle and a total eclipse that will bathe the moon in a blood-red light. Learn more, inside!
May the four winds blow you safely home,
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