J/80 US Midwinters Report
(Key West, FL)- Top J/80 sailor Andrew Kerr has been going down to Key West as part of his annual pilgrimage south to escape the frozen Midwest. He provided a great report on how it all went down for the J/80 class in their recent Midwinters.
“This year’s Key West Race Week was also the venue for the J80 Midwinter Championships; it is hard to think of a better venue for a championship in January! Peter Craig and his team from Premiere Racing always make the event a World class event with top level race management on the water and great shore side activities after wards.
On the Sunday evening I participated as a member of the tactician’s panel representing division three (J80 class and PHRF 1 and 2 fleets) with Ed Baird as moderator, Ed does a great job keeping everyone engaged and the ideas and conversation flowing and as a result the interaction with the audience was highly effective with great insight and thoughts from the panel and questions from the audience. Read more
After reading Kristen’s inspiring “What’s in my sea bag?”, long time industry partner Jerry Richards sent us this article as a follow up. Enjoy.
What to Wear
Protecting The Power Within
Making it Your Advantage
How Important Is What You Wear?
As long as conditions are safe, rough weather should not keep you from going racing. Rough weather days can be the most enjoyable and certainly the most memorable. However, poor quality clothing and out of date fabrics can ruin the day for racers of all ages especially the novice. Read more
Whether you are a fair weather sailor or a die hard winter warrior, it is never too late to think about next season and how to maximize your sailing enjoyment.
With the arrival of the “frankenstorm” many sailors have pulled their boats, stripped their canvas and may have had their last sail of the season. Others, like the 16 J World Frostbite students will be suiting up to enjoy whatever mother nature can throw our way on any given Sunday. J World Annapolis wants to help sailors create plans or campaigns to enjoy their sailing more, and for winter bound racers and cruisers we offer some outstanding programs to help keep your sailing skills sharp.
Every January we head to Key West, Florida to compete in the annual Quantum Key West Race Week. We offer racers two unique and low stress ways to enjoy North America’s best winter racing event including racing yacht charters and coach supported racing programs.
J/80 Charter
For most teams the cost of hauling, prepping, storing their boat is an overwhelmingly daunting task that ultimately destroys the enjoyment of an already expensive away event like Key West Race Week. For others, the draw of One Design racing is fascinating, and for international teams, the logistics of getting your boat here is simply cost prohibitive. For those experienced teams that want to come to Key West Race Week, but want to focus on sailing and not their boat, we do offer J/80 charters. For our charter clients, we deliver a boat and sails that is prepared and ready to compete at the highest level. We invite our Key West Race Week charter clients to join us for two days of on the water practice prior to the event and we are on site to provide technical and coaching support throughout the week of racing.
J/80 Coached Programs
For individuals and teams that seek both the Key West Racing experience, but also the support and learning that an onboard coach can provide we offer our Key West Race Week Racing Program. Our two days of training and five days of racing have been compared to going to driving school and then racing in the Daytona 500. We believe deeply in the value of cross training and the understanding of the delicate choreography that is learned by rotating positions. So between each race, clients will move from position to position. In this program you hone your existing skills and develop new skills while racing against top competition! We provide you with a race ready J80, onboard coach and 2 days of pre-regatta training followed by 5 days of racing. Three participants will rotate through all positions onboard including helm, trim and bow. Truly a turn-key program, you simply show up with your deck shoes and sunscreen. We take care of the rest! Plan to arrive in the evening on Friday, January 18th in Key West. We train Saturday and Sunday. Racing begins Monday January 2oth, 2013. Regatta ends Friday January 25th.
Applicants must have prior racing experience including tiller steering and spinnaker work. Experience level is subject to review prior to acceptance of your application. Participants must be in excellent physical condition. Boat delivery, setup and dockage, regatta entry, J World Racing Team wear, daily lunch, and entry to regatta parties is included in the price. You will need to cover transportation, accommodations in Key West, meals and entertainment.
It is never too early to start planning your 2013 season. There are only a few spots still available for Key West Race Week. Deadline for registration is November 15, 2012 – so call to reserve your spot TODAY!
