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The Royal Southampton Yacht Club and the J Class Association are pleased to announce details of the Regatta Programme planned for July 2012. With the possibility of six, or even eight J Class yachts racing, this is expected to be an outstanding regatta, both for the competitors and spectators.
A three-day competitive round the cans race Series is planned in and around the Solent on 18-20 July 2012, which can be viewed from the many vantage points along the shore and on the water.This Series will culminate with a prizegiving at the RSYC Clubhouse in Ocean Village, Southampton on Friday 20 July.
On Saturday 21 July, the fleet will assemble in the central Solent, again under the flag of the RSYC for the start of the Hundred Guinea Cup – a race around the Isle of Wight over the original course of the America’s Cup in 1851. Clockwise and without a time limit, this time it will include the Nab Tower.
Peter Armitage,Commodore, Royal Southampton Yacht Club, said: “With strong tides and complex navigational decisions, the 2012 Solent Regatta will be a great challenge to the Captains and crews. RSYC is looking forward to running the racing for the largest J Class fleet ever seen on their ‘home waters’ of the Solent and planning is already well under way. We also look forward to welcoming everyone at our Ocean Village Clubhouse – which will boast a fully-staffed media centre – and at our Gins Clubhouse on the Beaulieu River.”
Finding suitable deep-water berthing and appropriate shoreside facilities for such a large fleet is often a challenge. Solent Refit, the new superyacht base on Southampton Water, has been selected as it is ideal and importantly, can berth all the fleet together. For spectators, the yachts can be viewed from the seaward side, together with their many beautiful support vessels.
Just 10 J Class yachts were constructed, six in the USA and four in England. There were other designs produced but not built. During this period there were never more than four J yachts racing together. Only three originals survived the Second World War – Shamrock V, Endeavour and Velsheda. They rested and rotted in mud berths, until their rebuild and rebirth as 21st Century racing superyachts.
With the formation of the J Class Association (JCA) in 2000, the possibility existed for replicas from history to be built and race again. New yachts have been launched and some are under construction. Most of these projects are expected to be completed by 2012, creating a fleet of the biggest, finest racing yachts the world has ever seen. Rainbow is expected to launch in 2011 and could line up against Endeavour, repeating the historic races for the America’s Cup of 1934.
Southampton, Shamrock Quay, the Hamble River, Gosport, Cowes and the Solent all feature prominently in the rich history of this Class.
This year will be the 175th anniversary of the Australia Day Regatta, the oldest continuous regatta in the world. As part of the celebration of this anniversary we wish to invite as many classic yachts to participate in a special “Classics” division, award a special trophy and, following the race, to return to the Sydney Amateur Club in Mosman Bay to enjoy the hospitality provided by Club and the ADR. The intention is for the Classics division to start as the last division in a “time start” handicapping with the expectation of having most boats completing the race together to have most impact.
For more information download the Invitation and Notice of Race below
Bristol, Rhode Island, USA: In 1971, A. Sidney DeWolf and Rebecca Chase Herreshoff founded the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol and progressed to establish in 1977 exhibits on Burnside Street, on the site of the former Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, where hundreds of elegant and record-setting yachts were built, including eight consecutive defenders of the America’s Cup. In the forty years since then, their son, Halsey C. Herreshoff, has been a driving force behind the growth of this very special Museum.
As the Museum enters its fifth decade, and following his induction into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame in September, Mr. Herreshoff has decided to resign as President at the Museum. Although stepping back from daily operations, he will continue to work for the advancement of the Museum and remain a member of the Board of Directors through the end of his term.
One of America’s outstanding sailors, Halsey Herreshoff is the grandson of the legendary “Wizard of Bristol”, Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, and is himself a naval architect and marine engineer. Along with the late Edward duMoulin, he founded the America’s Cup Hall of Fame in 1992, an additional attraction at the Herreshoff Marine Museum. Through his sailing prowess and the Hall of Fame, Halsey Herreshoff has made friends around the globe, adding considerably to the prestige of Bristol. Halsey is perhaps best known for his career as an America’s Cup sailor, having served on many cup defenders of the 12 Meter Era, first as bowman on Columbia in 1958 and concluding as navigator on Liberty in 1983.
In the 1800’s every arrival to the antipodean colonies had done enough bluewater cruising to understand the appeal of a fast boat. During these times, the technological accomplishment of a far flung colony could be greatly enhanced if a locally designed and built vessel was victorious over boats from the colonial, or better still, the international fleet.
Read on…….
Some beautiful images at
Boatbuilder and Classic Boat columnist Adrian Morgan has had one of his clinker dinghies accepted on the BBC’s “History of the World in Objects” project. Members of the public apply to have their chosen object listed, and Adrian’s boat made the cut. This part of the project should not be confused with “A History of the World in 100 Objects” – it falls under the same umbrella, but the latter objects are chosen by the British Museum.
Of the clinker dinghy, Adrian writes:
“Boats are the single most important objects in the history of the world, bringing migrants, spreading civilisations, carrying goods, providing recreation, allowing fishermen to feed populations. The Vikings perfected the northern method of clinker boatbuilding, and the method has changed little if at all since. Clinker boats have been built, and are still being built, and are objects of great beauty in themselves. The method involves wrapping thin overlapping planks or strakes around temporary formers (moulds), which are removed when the shell is fully planked, which is then strengthened with oak ribs (called timbers), steamed to give suppleness. Copper rivets are used to fasten the planks together and the timbers to the planks. When gunwales and seats (thwarts) are added, this produces a light, flexible structure that withstands wave action. Moreover, as a clinker boat is simply a collection of individual pieces, all of which can be replaced (no glue is used), it is infinitely repairable. A clinker boat: practical, useful, beautiful and once ubiquitous. Now seen more often than not reverting to nature on a shoreline near you, and still beautiful in decay…”
See this and other objects online at the BBC website:
www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/explorerflash
From Classic Boat:
After 20,000 miles and two years at sea Phoenicia has arrived at the ancient Phoenician port of Sidon in Lebanon. Nearing completion of a voyage to circumnavigate Africa the replica 600 BC ship has been warmly received in Lebanon by the coordinators of www.phoenicia.org – a website dedicated to furthering knowledge about Phoenician history and culture. In Lebanon the ship will stay for a few days in port Sidon before sailing north to the capital Beirut where a ceremony is planned to mark the 2,600 year anniversary of the Phoenicians original circumnavigation.
The replica Phoenician ship, captained by British explorer Philip Beale, has completed the circumnavigation of Africa – a voyage made by Phoenicians in 600 BC. With up to 16 crew members on any one leg the replica vessel has welcomed sailors from all corners of the globe.
The voyage has presented Captain Beale and his international crew with many challenges including losing one of the ships rudders in the Red Sea, the threat of piracy off the Somali coast and gale force weather conditions around the Cape of Good Hope. At the end of the expedition the ship will have visited 14 countries – each time sparking interest in the achievements of ancient Phoenician mariners.
The successful completion of the voyage is of enormous significance to historians and archaeologists as it proves that the Phoenician vessels were capable of sailing around the African continent – something that has been the cause of much speculation over centuries.
Following the ceremony in Beirut Phoenicia will sail north to Arwad, Syria where the ship was built using traditional Phoenician construction methods and materials in 2007 and launched in 2008.
For more information on Phoenicia including a live satellite tracking device visit www.phoenicia.org.uk
The Cup Regatta 2011 will be held October 29th, 30th and 31st.
Notice of race and Entry information will be available shortly.
Another day in Saint-Tropez that required patience from competitors and the race committee alike. At the scheduled 11am start time for the Modern fleet, the breeze was unsettled and would take a delay of nearly two hours to get racing underway. The Moderns and Wally classes finally found breeze further offshore where they eventually started. In the Golfe de Saint-Tropez, there was not a breath of wind to start, then at 1pm someone hit the wind switch and an easterly breeze filled in.
Read on at www.boatingoz.com.au/website/story.asp?story=30293
The yacht on which Westcountry-born Sir Francis Chichester made history by sailing around the world single-handed could leave British shores after being put on sale for £250,000. Sir Francis, who was born at Barnstaple, returned to Plymouth in May 1967 aboard the Gipsy Moth IV after sailing 28,500 miles, with only a single stop, to set the record for the fastest single-handed navigation of the globe. The 65-year- old’s historic voyage took nine months and one day. He was greeted on his return by an estimated 250,000 people.
However, the 53ft wooden ketch is now being sold by her owners, the United Kingdom Sailing Academy, which has decided it can no longer afford to maintain the vessel. The academy, based on the Isle of Wight, had restored it at a cost of around £300,000 Sue Grant, from yacht brokers Berthon International, said: “She is half boat and half historic object. She is the grandmother of all single-handed yachts that followed. She is such an important thing. She has been restored to how she was at the time of the record.” She said most of the inquiries had been from abroad, saying it was “likely she will end up going overseas”.