Tuesday, July 7, 2015

J/105 North Americans Announcement

J/105 North American sailing video (San Francisco, CA)- St. Francis Yacht Club, will host the 2015 J/105 North American Championship in conjunction with Rolex Big Boat Series on September 17-20. The four days of racing cover a wide variety of courses, not just windward-leeward, thereby providing a great test of seamanship and navigational skills.

According to J/105 Class President and Regatta Chairman, Bruce Stone, “We have several boats available to charter – just call or email me, and I'll put you in touch with the owners.

Boat and sail inspections will take place on the days leading into the regatta. Non-SF Bay teams may purchase HA (heavy air) sails without them counting against their 2015 sail tags as long as they sell those sails prior to year end. They also have the option to tag them in 2016.

On Wednesday, September 16, most teams practice between noon and 3:30 pm, and then come into the Club for weigh-in and onsite registration. The North Sails team will be on the water taking photos of all boats (not just their clients), and then during the late afternoon weigh-in, they will provide a slide show with individualized pre-regatta commentary on each boat's rig tune, sail shape and even how your crew is hiking!

You and your team are then invited to an opening reception at the Club, sponsored by Rolex— a great chance to meet your fellow J/105 competitors and exchange local knowledge. The PROs will provide an initial briefing and answer questions about the courses.

For the first three days, there will be two races each day, starting either on the Berkeley Circle or on the western face of Treasure Island, with long windward beats and then dramatic downwind runs, including planing across the Bay to a reach mark. The second race will start on the opposite course, and generally finish in front of the clubhouse, a spectacular scene for your friends and family who come to watch.

Mt. Gay and Rolex will host parties at the Club after racing Thursday and Friday, and treat us to a video montage of the action. Here's what the regatta looked like in 2014, watch the Rolex J/105 Big Boat Series promo here.

Your regatta entry fee covers dinner for six on Saturday night at the St. Francis Yacht Club's Northwest Room with stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge. You may buy extra tickets onsite for family and friends.

As a no-throw-out regatta, the competition comes down to what happens on Sunday! This is generally one longer race, the famous “Bay Tour”, finishing in front of the Clubhouse. The winner of the J/105 North Americans will have his or her name inscribed on the J/105 perpetual trophy, and will receive the coveted Rolex Big Boat Series Oyster Perpetual Date Submariner (worth almost $9,000) with an inscription on the back commemorating the victory.

Come on out to San Francisco with your J/105!!  We’ll help you find a talented local rigger and a compatible marina for launching and berthing before the event... or let us know if you want us to connect you with a local owner for a charter or a joint-venture. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you in September!”  You can contact Bruce at email- “bruce@brucestone.com” or cell# 917-822-4060.  Registration information here.  For more J/105 North Americans sailing information