J/105 Nationals at the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta
by Rob Dornton-Duff 6 Sep 2010 02:59 PDT
26-29 August 2010
Java Team Gill regains J/105 National Championships at Dartmouth
The J/105 class’s UK National Championships was held concurrently with the 166th Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta over 26-29 August. Local boats Mary Sturgess’ Jaldi and David Sheehan / Peter Sandouni’s Jacana welcomed the Solent fleet for the a series of 8 windward-leeward courses in the Western end of Start Bay, and a coastal race.
Racing commenced in the traditional way for a bank holiday weekend with grey skies, rain and a blustery 12-20 kts from the North East, and after a long day on the water Class Captain Chris Jones in Journeymaker 5 showed the best form with 2 wins out of 3.
Day 2 bought the coastal race, variously viewed as either an opportunity for a shorter day and an early return to the hospitality of RDYC, or an eccentric intrusion on the normally ordered world of the one designs. Shifty and gusty conditions again from an unstable northerly airstream gave plenty of opportunities for gains and losses, but after almost 3 hours of racing James Heald in Flawless J took the gun by 3 seconds to Journeymaker 5, putting Journeymaker 5 in front of the series with only 4 points separating the top 4 boats for the start of Day 3.
Saturday bought fine weather at last and an oscillating North-Westerly 15-20 kts, which rewarded boats that found space to use the shifts. Lymington-based reigning National champion William Newton in Jellybaby found consistency with two 2nds, but was thwarted by an OCS in the last race. It was Hamble based Warsash Spring Series and J Cup winners Rob Dornton-Duff’s Java Team Gill, however, that found pace and took 3 wins and the series lead overnight. That evening the class hosted other Dartmouth Sailing Week J boat crews on a boat on the River Dart, for dinner and a prime viewing location for the regatta fireworks.
Sunday dawned with similar conditions to the previous day and the top place still open. A 2nd place by Java Team Gill however sealed their win, and left Jellbaby, Flawless J and Journeymaker 5 to fight out 2nd and 3rd. A tightly fought final race between Java and Jellybaby gave Java Team Gill its 5th win of the series, Jellbaby overall runner up and Flawless J 3rd.
For more information about J/105 racing, see that class website.
Overall Results:
If you took part in the J105 nationals then enter your Gear Guide information here
| Pos | Sail No | Boat Name | Owner | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | 9401 | Java Team Gill | Rob Dornton-Duff | ASA/RORC | -4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 12 |
| 2 | 1129 | Jelly Baby | William Newton | Royal Lymington Y C | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | -9 | 1 | 2 | 20 |
| 3 | 6905 | Flawless J | James Heald | R O R C | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2.5 | -7 | 3 | 24.5 |
| 4 | 8531 | Journeymaker 5 | Christopher Paul Jones | R A F Y C | 1 | 1 | -6 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 27 |
| 5 | 7535 | Jolene | Ivan Trotman | R A F Y C | -7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2.5 | 4 | 6 | 40.5 |
| 6 | 6605 | Jeopardy | Richard Watney | Bosham | (DNF) | 7 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 47 |
| 7 | 7405 | Jackpot | Vernon Bradley | | 5 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | (DNC) | DNC | 50 |
| 8 | 9588 | Jacana | Daniel Sheehan & Peter Sandoudi | S Y C | 6 | -8 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 50 |
| 9 | 8805 | Jaldi | Mary Sturgess | R T Y C | 8 | -9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 67 |