Sunday, May 1, 2016

J Class Sailing On Pacific Puddle Jump

J/46 crew of Bolero sailing Pacific! (Los Angeles, CA)- Speaking of J/46s and long-distance sailing!  The J/46 BOLERO with crew of Tom Perry, Eric McClure and Jorge Morales (owner) left Dana Point, CA on Wednesday, April 20 to participate in the Pacific Puddle Jump.

According to Eric, “we are participating in the Pacific Puddle Jump which is supported and sponsored by Latitude 38.com.  Jorge is a member of Dana Point YC, he is a four-time Transpac veteran and has many ocean races to his credit.  Eric has owned a J/24, a J/29 and currently has a J/35 and has done five Transpac’s and many offshore races, too.  Eric is member of Alamitos Bay YC.  Tom is rock star crew with many years of racing to his credit.  The boat has been impeccably prepared to do this voyage. We plan to sail to the Marquesas Islands and cruise those islands and then sail to Tahiti!

J/46 sailing south PacificBy the way, after leaving on the 20th, our voltage regulator to the stove wasn't working properly so we stopped in to San Diego to fix it. As you can see from the stern of the boat, we have all the comforts of home!  So far, the boat speed is pretty amazing, in 19 knots of breeze, were reaching along doing 9.5 knots all day!

Also, we are leaving about the same time from San Jose del Cabo in Mexico is the J/130 ITAJIME from San Francisco, CA with owner Alan Robin and friends.”

And, here’s a timely note we just received from Alan Robin, the proud owner and skipper of the J/130 ITAJIME, hull #29, also sailing the Pacific Puddle Jump! 

J/130 Itajime sailing south PacificAlan said, “I am the third owner of #29 and am preparing to leave from San Jose del Cabo to cross to  French Polynesia. I thought that you would be interested in knowing that although this is my first Pacific Crossing, it is Itajime's third. #29 was first purchased by John Moore and commissioned as Breakin' Wind in the San Francisco Bay and sailed through the South Pacific to New Zealand. Robert and Kim Milligan purchased #29 in New Zealand, renamed her RAM and sailed and raced it throughout Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific sailing back to the SF Bay in 2012.

I purchased her in January, 2014 renamed her ITAJIME and have been actively sailing her up and down the Pacific Coast and am now preparing to cross again in the next day or two.

I love ITAJIME and continue to be blown away by her performance, stability, and comfort. Unlike many cruisers, she is a joy to sail and very comfortable. I love passing other sailors with my sails up while they are motoring muttering about the lack of wind. She is truly a sailor's cruising boat. You can follow us on our blog at itaji.me  Thank you for designing and building such a lovely, durable and fun boat!”

Please be sure to follow along with BOLERO and ITAJIME on their great adventure across the South Pacific- more information here!