Professional Opportunity...

Hi friends and fans of J World:  our San Francisco Bay location is now hiring instructors.  It's a great opportunity to work for the industry leader in sailing education, training, and experiences.  Interested individuals should email us at info@sailing-jworld.com.

2014 Pacific Cup Charter Available

We here at J World know it is extremely difficult to find good, fast charterboats available for racing events.  Too often, 'race ready' boats are not competitive.  Too often, they are not really offshore ready (complying with all race requirements, certified liferafts, etc. etc).  This means, unfortunately, that we are usually restricted to racing in our home waters, or we have to spend a lot of money and wear-and-tear moving our boats around on trailers or deliveries.  And when it comes to a premier event like the race from California to Hawaii, it can be almost impossible to source a good ride.

J120 At Speed!

Well, we here at J World have decided to make our J120 available for charter for events here on the West Coast, including the 2014 Pacific Cup.  We are offering the boat as a bareboat (to fully qualified teams), or we can help provide coaches/crew who are familiar with the boat and the event, and would be a great asset to any campaign.

So if you have always dreamed about racing across the Pacific to the Islands but float your boat in a distant pond, here's a way to make it happen...

Contact us early (now!) for more info...

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

Yachting Cup Wrap-Up

Last week J World San Diego hosted a racing clinic prior to San Diego Yacht Club’s signature regatta, the Yachting Cup.  This year marked the 41st running of this premiere regatta, bringing together competitive fleet and one-design racing.  We scheduled three days of practice with our coaches for a group of students from around the US – and the world) before the regatta…  Sika gets the distant traveler award for joining us from Taiwan!   Three of our J/80s were entered into the one design class to compete against six other boats of seasoned racers.  

The clinic gave our students a variety of conditions to work with including some typical San Diego light air and ample sun, along with some more atypical breeze, seeing some gusts over 20 knots.  Our coaches used a combination of classroom lectures and on the water practice to push our students to learn and improve their boat handling, sail trim, strategy, tactics, spinnaker work… and of course a whole day of starting practice!

After all that hard work (we could only practice so much) we had to get out there and race!  Yachting Cup’s two days of racing were held at the Coronado Roads just outside of San Diego Bay.  SDYC’s race committee planned short windward-leeward courses and had scheduled four races on Saturday and three for Sunday.

On day one, with a late season low pressure system passing through, we were seeing 15 knots of southerly breeze while rigging boats in the morning, and so we knew it was going to be a lumpy and bumpy ride!  Our boats had a fast (and very wet) day sharing our start with six of the new J/70s and only getting off three races.  Day two was forecasted to have even more wind, but luckily (or not?) it never really showed.  Instead there was plenty of San Diego’s infamous “May Gray”.  The slightly more mild breeze still kept tacticians and the race committee on their toes with some big wind shifts.  Maybe a weatherman in San Diego isn’t the easiest job in world after all?

J World’s boats ended up finishing 4th, 5th, and 7th in the J/80 class.  I think it is safe to say that everyone, including the coaches, also finished with a big grin on their faces (and sore hands!) after such a competitive weekend of sailing.  Great job Erwan, John, Gary, Sika, and Jim!

- Andrew LaPlant and the J World Team

Hula Girl Update....

Ok, sitting here in San Diego getting ready for the Yachting Cup this weekend, and we've had lots of questions about the Hula Girl refit project...  so here's the latest.  She's back in the water with the rig up, finally!  The rig got delayed in shipping from the east coast so we missed the Newport to Ensenada race (that's the bad news) but the new Hall mast is a work of art and fit wonderfully (that's the good news).  And here are some of the details:

New wheel, pedestal, and steering system...

New windows in the cockpit...

Newly cleaned up foredeck with molded in toe-rails (got rid of the old aluminum rails!!)

New G10 backing plates throughout...

New aluminum track backing plates...

New carbon chainplates outside (slick, sleek, and leak-proof!)

New carbon chainplates inside (stiff and strong!)

Did we mention the new rig?  A carbon spar  by Hall Spars...  the tube is built in ONE piece on a mandrel, and the finish work is exquisite... 

New paint, windows, hatches, and a super slick bottom...  with her keel back on, Hula Girl heads for the water.

No stone was left unturned with this project.  Seriously, we could have bought another SC50 for the amount we spent on the project.  But we here at J World can now can make available to our clients one of the finest boats afloat...

Want to see the finished product?  Sorry, going to have to wait until after Yachting Cup.

Want to go for a ride on the fastest SC50 afloat?  We have space in the 2014 San Diego to PV Race and the 2014 Pacific Cup (San Francisco to Hawaii).

More soon...

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

Yachting Cup

Spring has sprung, and believe it or not the 2013 season is nearly upon us!  As a way to chip the rust off and get you into your A-Game quickly, J World is running a three day clinic and racing in the renown San Diego Yacht Club Yachting Cup!

Come join us aboard our J/80s for an intensive workshop May 1-3 aboard our J/80s covering sail trim, boathandling, sail handling, strategy, tactics, rules, etc. etc....  then race in the regatta with a J World coach aboard!

We still have a couple spots left, so visit here for more info, or contact us now to reserve your space!

Wayne Zittel & the J World Team

Show Me the Boats!

Oh yes, it's that time in San Francisco:  Strictly Sail Pacific, the all-sailing boatshow in Jack London Square fired up yesterday, and it's good times all around.  The weather has been great, the boats and suppliers are here in full-force and offering great deals, and of course the venue (right next door to J World San Francisco) is perfect...

J World conducting an asymmetrical spinnaker workshop
at the Strictly Sail Boatshow going on at Jack London
Square Oakland this weekend 

So come on by.  Be sure to visit J World to say hi.  Check out the seminars.  Get a new pair of shoes, or a spinnaker, or a boat.  All the cool kids are doing it....

Show info here.  Hope to see you soon...

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

Back on the Chain (plate) Gang...

It's time for another Hula Girl update.  Our Turboed Santa Cruz 50 is in the final stages of a full refit.  While they should have gone in first, a trail of  issues delayed the installation of the new chainplates.  But Gilles and Denis of GC Composites stepped up to the plate and delivered a work of art.  The carbon boxes were shaped to fit the hull and perfectly position the load bearing  Nitronic pins, then they laid up the boxes in their Richmond shop, and finally returned them to the boat for installation. 

Denis (the carbon-master) installing the boxes.  

Post curing ovens at work.

Chainplate box all done....  and settee top being glassed back in and tabbed
to hull (it was cut out  to give full access for installing the chainplate boxes).

Hula Girl is scheduled to roll out of the shed towards the end of the week.   Keel on, mast on, go sailing.  Should be simple, no?   We'll have the new HG  at our docks in Jack London Square during the Strictly Sail Pacific boatshow in April, then she heads south for the Newport to Ensenada Race.

Wanna come play?   The next openings are 2014 San Diego to Puerto Vallarta Race (click here to check out a video from the last SD-PV race!) and the 2014 Pacific Cup (San Francisco to Hawaii).

More soon....

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

Hula Girl Update

All right, we are long overdue on posting an update on the Hula Girl refit project.  Everyone keeps asking how it is going, and all I can say is wow, she's gonna be sweet.  Here's a look at some of the project thus far:

In the shed, fresh paint, looking like new....

Rig being tested in the shop.  That's a one piece, molded
carbon mast from the spar-smiths at Hall Spars.

Rig detail.  Impressive in their attention to the 'little things.'

New carbon chainplates being fit.  Gilles and Denis at
GC Composites are doing a fantastic job.

Chainplates being located on the deck level

This is just scratching the surface of the projects which have been tackling.  The boat is looking amazing and will be rolling out of the shed and getting the keel put back on shortly.  Stay posted for more details!

Even though the 2013 Transpac is sold out, we have space in the 2014 San Diego to Puerto Vallarta Race and the 2014 Pacific Cup from San Francisco to Hawaii.

All the best,

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

Cinco 70s

That's five 70's.  Brand spanking new J/70s, that is.  Just rolled into Puerto Vallarta.  The trucks were a bit late getting down here, but on Friday we managed to get them all off-loaded and all the rigs up.  Three were out sailing yesterday, and man they are great!!

Off-loading at Paradise Village.  

Shoving off for the first sail.

We'll get some more pictures of these incredibly cool boats sailing shortly.  So does the weather look pretty ideal?  Oh, believe me, it is.  Shorts, T-Shirts, about 15 knots out there.   Buen día indeed...

Classes are running regularly in paradise...  c'mon down!

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

Maserati Race Car... er, Boat...

Congratulations to Maserati....  they just shattered the New York for San Francisco record.  No highways involved on this one...  the 70 foot yacht skippered by Giovanni Soldini made the trip around Cape Horn in a touch over 47 days.  That took just about 10 days off the old record!  Pretty impressive.   Congratulations!

Midwinter Clinic/Regatta in San Deigo

J World San Diego is running a three day clinic then racing in the Midwinter Regatta.  we have spaces available, so visit here for more info.  Right now, the clinic is 80% women...  serious girl power!  Or come charter a boat and join the fun for the weekend.   Clinic is February 13-15, regatta is February 16-17.

Come have some fun in beautiful San Diego and advance your racing skills.  This is the best way to get fast.

New Fleet for the New J/70 (Boat of the Year!)

Great News...   the sailing scene in Puerto Vallarta continues to not only thrive, but is constantly growing stronger!  

Fleet of J/70s on the way to Puerto Vallarta!

We are excited to be welcoming a growing fleet new J/70s to Banderas Bay.  There are now no less than five boats on the way and they will be cutting it up in the beautiful conditions down there in the coming month. 

This hot sportboat was just tapped with Sailing World's prestigious "Boat Of The Year" award.  Lightweight, quick, easy to handle, it's going to be a perfect boat for Puerto Vallarta.  Anyone interested in joining this growing fleet down in PV should get in touch...

Cheers,

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

Midwinter Clinic and Regatta - Feb 14, San Deigo

Well with the winter season kicking in you would think the sailing choices would be limited...  but it really seems to be the opposite right now!

Plus, we have added a couple special events for the spring, including a three day clinic followed by two days of racing in the SCYA Midwinters in San Diego aboard our J/80s.  Want a fun winter get-away?  Want to up your sailing game?  Want to race in a great event with a pro coach?  Check this out:

Beyond that, regular classes are going in San Diego (probably the best year round sailing venue in North America), and if you want the guaranteed bathing suit and flip-flops vacation, then join us in Puerto Vallarta.  While it is certainly cooler in San Francisco  there have been some beautiful sailing days days.  And our host/partner hotel, the Waterfront, is running some great deals we wanted to pass on in case you are thinking about joining us on the Bay:

Happy Holidays everyone!

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

Southbound... and Northbound...

What a weekend.  We just had a great trip out of our San Diego school aboard our J/120 on a liveaboard cruising class.  For this one, we headed down to northern Baja and Ensenada.  Great weather, perfect company, and the full range of diversions (submarines, dredges, warships, islands, dolphins, whales... ) made for a fantastic trip.

The J/120 lights it up on a sweet
beam reach, bound for Mexico...

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

There's the mighty Hula Girl looking pretty naked.  In the shed, just before the iconic graphic got peeled from the transom.  Don't worry, she'll be back.

The refit is moving along.  When we say we are re-doing everything, we mean everything.  Here's the bow with the new glassed over hull/deck seam (got rid of the old aluminum rails).  Pretty slick.  More reports soon...  but we still have space in the Newport to Cabo race aboard this turboed 50 footer in March.  She's going to be better than new, in a big way.  Details here.

All the best,

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

Kudos....

You know, we are proud of our alumni.  It really is impressive what some of you have gone on to accomplish...  and there is nothing cooler than when someone walks up to us in the tent at, say, Key West Race Week, swings cup of rum punch our way, and says, "hey you taught me how to race!"  It makes what we do very gratifying.  Case in point:  

Hi guys,

I wanted give you an update on our first full season with the boat.  As you can see from the pic we did really well and you deserve huge kudos for your great training and coaching.  In just a few years you’ve helped me progress from knowing nothing about sailing to club champion.  Thank you, I appreciate all your hard work and hope to see you again soon.  And have a very Merry Christmas!

New Years Day Race – 1^st overall.

Summer Shorts – 1^St in division.

Last Chance Regatta – 1^st in division.

Division 2 Club Champion.

That email came in from Kevin the other day...  Kevin has done a number of courses and events with us, from J80 racing to doing foredeck on the mighty Hula Girl in MEXORC.  He has demonstrated precisely what we have always said:  sailing is like anything else in life....  you get out of it what you put into it.  Kevin has put a lot of time and energy into bettering himself as a sailor, and it really shows.  

So as this year is wrapping up, we want to offer a hearty congratulations to ALL our alumni who went out last season and won...  or did well...  or just barely made it around the course but had a great time.  Don't forget to check in every now and then...  we love to hear stories of your successes, trials, tribulations, whatever...

Cheers!

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

Hula Girl Goes Under the Knife...

So a friend sent me this shot of our Hula Girl in Hawaii, keel off, ready to be shipped home after the race to the Islands.  Looks like an auspicious sign for our turboed 50 footer.  We are excited to report the the Girl is undergoing a full refit and will hit the water early next year shiny, clean, updated, faster, and sweeter than ever.

Hula Girl, keel off, ready for shipping home from Hawaii

What are the projects?  Well, the BIG one is a new rig.  After an extensive look at all the options around the world, we selected Hall Spars to build one of their beautiful grand-prix one piece (!) carbon masts.  Not only do they turn our real works of art, but the team at Hall are great to deal with.  With lots of assistance and input from some of the best-in-the business, we have also re-engineered the rig plan and are moving the chainplates back to sweep the spreaders about 12 degrees, making it a more stable, forgiving, and modern rig with less dependency on the checkstays.  Man, it's going to be sweet.

Also on tap is a full new steering system, from pedestal, to idler blocks, to quadrant.  Just to be sure.  We'll be replacing and/or rebuilding all the windows and hatches.  We are getting rid of the aluminum toerail around the bow, and replacing the tracks aft.  New deck hardware throughout.  EVERY single piece of hardware is already off the boat, all the holes are being reamed out and filled with G10 rods, and the whole package will be re-bedded.  And, of course, she is getting a full paint job.

We know what we want for Christmas...
a nice and shiny better-than-new turboed Santa Cruz 50.
I think we are going to need a bigger tree.

J World chose KKMI in Richmond to oversee the refit.  Not only are they renowned for their exceptional work, but they have also been the custodians of Hula Girl for...  well, decades now, since before she was Gone With the Wind.  In fact, they oversaw the 2000 refit, including the installation of the strut/bulb keel, and the outfitting that Paul Cayard did when he owned the boat.  Their staff have always been fantastically knowledgeable and helpful to us in many ways, so taking her to KKMI was pretty much the easiest decision...  now what color do we paint her??

We are also thankful to a selection of sponsors and providers who are helping to outfit the Girl with the best marine equipment available anywhere in the world.  Stay tuned for a full list as we update on the project progress.

So the first outing for the newly gussied up Girl will be the 2013 Newport to Cabo Race in March.  Due to a cancellation, we have a couple of berths still available (if you miss this, she is sold out for a while and the next opportunity to sail on her won't be until 2014!).  More info is here.  Seriously.  Get on this one.

And in the meantime, all our classes are running full-tilt....  the season in Puerto Vallarta is kicking in, San Diego has been beautiful (as always), and despite the rain this week, San Francisco Bay has had a lot going on.  Stay tuned for details on the So Cal Midwinters in our J/80s, our new Yachting Cup Clinic and Regatta, and more!

All the best,

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

Newport to Cabo Race

Every two years, Newport Harbor Yacht Club hosts the classic West Coast sprint from California to the beautiful tropical wonderland and land's end:  Cabo San Lucas.  This is offshore racing at its best.  The event draws a great fleet each running, and we are proud to be heading down the coast in a true legend.  Hula Girl, a turboed Santa Cruz 50, is renowned for her speed and many successes.  

In the last running of the Cabo Race, a team comprised of three J World coaches and six clients placed third, and in March of 2013 we are looking to better that!  This event was sold out six months ago, however a group cancellation has made some berths available.  Contact us now to receive a Team brief and learn more about this fantastic opportunity.  

The Ha!

Anyone up for a quick trip down to Baja?

All you sailors know the Baja-Ha-Ha, the world renown cruisers rally from San Deigo to Cabo San Lucas.  J World loves doing the trip, but alas, there is simply too much going on this year for us to commit to the full trip.  But we won't give up that easily.  We are going to do the first half of the event, the Ha. We'll start in San Diego with the fleet on October 28, sail to Turtle Bay where we will join the festivities, then on November 3 when the rest of the fleet heads south, we will turn northward back to San Diego.

J World made the cover in the 2007 Baja Ha Ha

Two J World coaches will be aboard, and we have space for three clients, so if you want a quick getaway, let us know!

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

ALOHA!

Pretty cool. Just awesome sailing right now in perfect conditions, and the Hawaiian Islands are coming up fast.

And there is more: from Wednesday morning at 8 am to Thursday morning 8am, Hula Girl covered more miles than any other boat out here, with the exception of the big Icon. That's pretty impressive for a team that never sailed together before, and never sailed this boat before. In fact, most of the crew didn't even know each other two weeks ago. They came from all around the US and Canada to race in the 2012 Pacific Cup from San Francisco to Hawaii. Add to the mix three coaches from J World Performance Sailing, and you have Team Hula Girl.

In the course of an event like this, we (coaches) work hard to try to get everyone aboard to do all the heavy lifting. Everyone is an equal team member, and gets equal time doing all the jobs onboard an offshore racer, from trimming to grinding to driving. I'm not going to candy-coat anything. It can be really rough going for the first couple of days. The crew is learning the boat and getting acclimated to onboard life in the toughest possible setting: an actual offshore race on a real offshore boat competing against numerous grand-prix level teams. And it's not uncommon that we get fairly beat up by the competition in those early days.

But then something pretty cool happens. The team gels. They learn how to drive the boat better, the early signs of being too high (or to low) and how much to respond. How the pitch and roll and yaw of the Pacific swells effect the boat and the sails. The trimming gets crisper, faster to respond to the driver and the wind. The team goes from being re-active to pro-active. The boat sails 'in the groove' longer, smoother, faster. Case in point: yesterday. As mentioned before, Team Hula Girl did an impressive job posting high miles and gains (some significant) on many teams out here with pro sailors, long term programs, and seasoned vets. Nicely done!!

We are about 100 miles out right now, on the final push to the finish. We are expecting a fifth place in our class, and a fifth place overall. Not too shabby. And, what's even better, is that it's shaping up to be one final beautiful evening. We'll have a waxing moon, and mostly clear skies. With about 14 knots of breeze, we are surfing small swells under spinnaker at about 12 knots. Tonight, as we run towards Kaneohe Bay on the north shore of Oahu looking at an early morning finish, I am really proud to have sailed with everyone on this team. Not only did they do a truly fantastic job, but they were also an absolute blast to be with. Many thanks to coaches Geoff (the Governor) and Chris (the Dude) for their tireless efforts and keeping the proverbial 'wheels on the wagon,' and of course thanks to Tom (the Tominator), Tim (the Bishop), Les (Field Marshal Serge), Brendan (the Cowboy), Martha (Trixie), and John (Bux Money) for making this such an enjoyable and memorable passage.

Clearly we have been out here too long. Now we need to get ready for our finish. And I'm looking forward to sampling the local refreshments. I hear they have something delicious called a Mai Tai and that it is terribly difficult to have only one. There are some challenges I am not ready or willing to face, so I am fine if they give me a couple...

Aloha,

Wayne Zittel and the Hula Girl Team

www.saiing-jworld.com
800-910-1101

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Summer Sleigh Rides

Well it's been a wild couple of days in the 2012 Pacific Cup. Early Tuesday morning, we entered a solid band of breeze which lasted for about two days. Winds were moistly 20-25 knots, with occasional squalls pushing things to around 30. Hula Girl was dancing with the waves, ticking off prolonged runs at 15, 16 knots and occasional leaps over 20. Just a complete blast, but nerve wracking... the squalls come on fast, and last a loooong time. You see the darkness come up behind you. Then you feel the rain. Then the wind is on you, the boat literally takes off, and your sleigh ride has begun. You'd better bring your A game.

But we have taken some lumps too. We blew up a kite (my favorite 2A). We broke a gooseneck pin (good on the sharp eyes of Tim for noticing it before it became a big issue). We got some debris (polypropelene line... fishing gear??) caught on the prop and strut, then later caught a sheet down there... had to drop the kite and park it for a bit to clear the.tangle. We broke an after guy (that was 'exciting'). And so on. Radio chatter indicates that more than a couple boats have has issues, but luckily nothing sounds too major.

Once again, the J125 Double Trouble tore things up. Icon, the speedy Perry 66 did 273 miles yesterday. DT a little over 40 feet, did 300. That is absolutely rocking. THey are only 40 mile behind the big boat today. Could they actually beat Goliath and capture a clean sweep??? It would be an amazing accomplishment... so be sure to stay tuned. Other than that, Medusa the SC52 pulled on us, California Condor gained a bit (as expected), but we pulled on every other boat out here. Daily corrected standings haven't been sent out yet, and there are still 650 miles to go... can we put enough time on Swazik and Hana Ho to correct out over them?? Lord know were gonna try. We are all on port tack , finally, more or less pointed straight at the Islands. A bit of a drag race now.

Life onboard has been nice. Today is the first day with good sunshine, so we still have a lot of wet sails and gear. But it's a lot warmer now, and we are drying out nicely. I'm about to head to the cockpit to take a nice warm shower (oh yes, I very much need it), and our bellies are full from the gourmet wraps that Martha made for lunch. Then I'm going to take a nap and recharge the batteries for tonight. The night have been challenging, and even though the wind is a bit lighter at the moment, I have comer to expect the unexpected.

Cheers all, and wish us good speed and fortune on the sleigh ride to the barn!

Wayne Zittel and the Hula Girl Team

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Lucky

It's a little after 3 am out here in the middle of nowhere.

Well, actually we aren't in any proverbial nowhere, we are out in the beautiful Pacific Ocean on a fantastic evening., so that part might be a little misleading. But the middle part is wholly accurate: we have just passed the halfway point in the 2012 Pacific Cup race from San Francisco to Hawaii. Out here, right now, we are farther from any speck of dry land than you can get anywhere else on the planet. 1035 miles, if you want to be exact. So if 'somewhere' for you equates to terra firma, then I guess indeed we might be in the middle of nowhere after all.

Out here we are pushing into the tradewinds where the breeze comes on stronger and steadier. Earlier, the sliver of a moon pushed thru the patchy clouds, a welcome sight after a couple of dark dark nights out here. The way the reflected light plays off the water in a shimmery streak off the side of the boat which masks the speeds we are hitting as Hula Girl surfs, then loads up on the back of a wave, then surfs again. The darkness can almost fool you into thinking that we are stationary, a snapshot with all the trappings of speed, but frozen... unless you look down and see the water rushing by, or hear the hissing of the searing past the hull, or catch a glimpse of the spray thrown by the bow. Then it's pretty clear we are trucking along. The moon has set now, and it;s all stars.

I just spent an hour driving. It's just glorious out there. I snuck the earbuds in and fired up the tunes. It's about my favorite thing in the world: driving a fast boat with the kite up at night on shuffle play. It will never get old.

It' wont be getting light out here for a while... we are somewhere between Pacific TIme and Hawaiian time, where civic distinctions don't exist and the mariners only deal with their own language, differences from Zulu, GMT, and the like. Life is good aboard... we are having a blast. Great company, great sailing, great competition. We have been underway a little over four and a half days, with about 4 to go, if we are lucky.

But who am I kidding.... we are already lucky.

Time to get some sleep before the next watch. Have a great night, and we'll .see you all when the sun comes 'round again...

Wayne Zittel and the Hula Girl Team

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33.33%

That's about how far thru the 2012 Pacific Cup from San Francisco to Hawaii we are at the moment. We had a beautiful day, sailing in 15-18 knots, small waves, deep blue water. It's looking a bit more like the brochure. Onboard Hula Girl we have a mix-and-match crew from various corners of North America, and even though this is the first time the group has sailed together, I have to say they are doing an impressive job.... even the Canadians... (whoa now, easy guys, it's just a joke...)

Ok, that was close, but I'm back....

So our fleet is mixing it up a bit. Double Trouble, the J/125, has punched out nicely on a southern line, and is currently sitting in first in class, first overall. California Condor was down there too, but thru the night they reached up and are now north of us, near the smoking SC52 Medusa. Meanwhile, we have maintained a bit of leverage to the south. The breeze we are seeing out here for the past two days does not at all match the forecast models, so we have been paying increased attention to the NWS weatherfaxes and, even though they don't match the reality out here, they are closer. If we had to guess (and we do), we'll roll the dice that it will be a bit lighter and lifted to the north, so for now, we like our position relative to the competition. But there's a lot of racecourse left... and plenty of time to keep us humble!

Life onboard has slipped into a fine downwind routine. Sleep, trim, drive, grind. Rinse and repeat. As everyone gets more time in the various roles, our sailing just gets better and better. Driving is smoother. Trimmers are more active. Boat is faster. All good. And a special tip of the hat to Martha, who currently holds the speed record of a blistering 17.4 knots! Nicely done!!

We just wrapped up dinner. John is driving, Tom is trimming. There are random crew sleeping about in bunks with Island dreams, no doubt. The breeze has backed down to a mild 14-16 knots, and it's looking like a mellow evening. More soon...


Wayne ZIttel and the Hula Girl Team

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The Simple Life

Well, what can I say? It's all been pretty straightforward in the 2012 Pac Cup so far.

We are now into day two and scooting along. The daily run yesterday was a mediocre 215, but not horrible given the conditions that plagued the area earlier in the week. So I am definitely not complaining. As of the 8am roll call on Friday, we were 5th in class, 5th overall in our extremely competitive fleet... Medusa, the SC52 with a full contingent of talented crew punched out to claim an early lead in class and overall. And with Swazik, Double Trouble, Condor, and the rest, the team rosters read like a who's-who of West Coast racing. This is going to be a tough fleet.

Most of the day yesterday was spent reaching with the Code 0. We saw Condor with their spinnaker up off our starboard side, but over the course of the afternoon they dropped down below us to the south, and eventually disappeared overt he horizon. Their heading was WAY south and I wasn't comfortable with that, so we kept reaching with the Zero. In the late afternoon the breeze had not yet shifted to the north and had come up to about 14-15 knots, so we dropped the Code 0 and went back to the Jib Top and GS, which we carried thru the night.

First light. Breeze shifting right, to due north. That can only mean one thing in a Hawaii race: Spin-time. We went straight to the 2A, and with a bow pointed almost directly at the Islands, took off at about 11-12 knots in about 16 knots of breeze. We are riding a wave of new pressure onto the course, coming into the fleet with the new breeze. This should mean that we are closing with the smaller boats ahead of us very quickly, and that we are in for a good amount of unstable wind. And sure enough, it's been shifty and puffy, but the team has been handling it well.

At the 8am roll call today, we found we had snuck into 4th place. Encouraging news for the team, even if the early standings don't really mean too much (1600 miles to go!). Well to the north are Swazik and the other SC50, while well to the south are the J125 Double Trouble and Condor. Interesting to note that the leader is way south. Second place is in the middle. Third place is in the north. And fourth back in the middle. So there seems to be a lot of potential lanes out here, but as I said, it's still very early. What I do know is that we have a bit of a drag race going, and we need to sail the boat well to keep up with these guys.

Freeze dried lasagne for dinner tonight, and probably a bit of salad. Then into our first night with the kite up. It's pretty clear today (patchy clouds) but not much of a moon so it will be a dark one. Beautiful right now, 15 knots and flat seas, and we are looking forward to a fun evening.

More soon...

Wayne Zittel and the Hula Girl Team

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2012 Pac Cup Report - Feeling A Bit Lucky

2012 Pac Cup Report - Feeling A Bit Lucky

Yes indeed. We here aboard J World's Hula Girl in the 2012 Pacific Cup are feeling a bit lucky, and we aren't even 24 hours into the race yet. We're not sure how we sit in the standings, we aren't sure this breeze will hold, we aren't sure about much at all, in fact, except this one thing: we are sure that we were able to get away from the California coast a LOT less painfully than our brethren aboard the smaller boats that started before us! Pure luck of the drew, to be sure, but still we are happy we didn't hit the hole they found. Some of those boats did a fantastic job punching thru it... nicely done... now we have to catch them.

It was a mild departure from SF Bay yesterday. Maybe 15 knots out the gate. Mostly flat water at the end of the flood. We started with a #3 and full main, and kept good company as we tacked out the channel and into the band of fog offshore. We were happy to still beholding good breeze, as we watched the ghostly shapes of the other racers alternately disappear, and then re-emerge from the patchy low clouds. Finally, we all punched out the other side and were in clearing skies with good visibility. Past the Pilot boat sitting out by the SF Buoy. Past the Farallone Islands. And into the blue Pacific.

Icon, the biggest boat in the race, punched out to an early lead. We won't be seeing them again. The SC52 Medusa was straight in front of us, with the Swan 45 about even to the north, the other SC50 off our hip to the north, and Condor plus the two J125's were drawing a line to the south. But I expect it all got shuffled last night.

The breeze went right (as expected) in the early evening, and about 11pm we awoke our new crew to their first middle-of-the-night-you-must-be-kidding-me sail change. Smooth as silk, and we were on our way with the Blast Reacher and Genoa Staysail. We carried that thru the night, but just a couple hours ago this morning, the breeze started to back down a bit so we shifted up to the Code 0 (with GS). All good now. Doing 9 knots or so pointed in a very good direction in about 10-11 knots of breeze. We expect this to be building into the afternoon, so hopefully we can get the Hula Girl back into the double digits boatspeeds.

Life aboard is great. It's been mild, which lets our team acclimate to the new-to-them boat, and their new-to-them crew mates. We have run a couple full rotations, so everyone has had a bit of dance time with the Hula Girl. It's always nice to get comfy before the spinnakers go up.

That's all I got for now (less than 20 hours into it, after all!).... but I'll fire away with more details as we get deeper into the race.

All the best,

Wayne Zittel and the Hula Girl Team


* J World's Hula Girl is the offshore training program for J World Performance Sailing School. We enter a number of grand-prix sailing events each year with a mix of our professional coaches and a crew of amateurs from around the world. To learn more, visit www.sailing-jworld.com.

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Thanks to all those who helped us get to the starting line!

We appreciate the support, efforts and generosity of all those who have made it possible for the individuals and our company to get Hula Girl to the starting line for the 2012 Pacific Cup.  First, to the friends and families of our customers and coaches who support their loved ones' pursuit of offshore adventure!  Thank you!

Thank you to the management and staff of the Waterfront Hotel and Miss Pearl's Restaurant and Lounge.  They provide phenomenal hospitality to our out-of-town participants and go way, way, beyond to welcome our customers and support J/World at Jack London Square.

Miss Pearl's generously hosted our team for a send off on Tuesday.  The pizzas were delicious and you gotta love their hurricanes! 

If friends, family or you are coming to the Bay Area, please check them out.  

Thank you to Atlantis Weathergear for their outstanding support of our efforts to share our passion for sailing.  This year's team is sporting Atlantis' Watch Jacket in their crew photo.

Thanks also to Dan and the team at West Marine Alameda.  They go "over and above" anytime we need something, but especially in assembling the bulk of our crew gear.

Our neighbors at Oakland's Jack London Square have been fantastic:

Thanks to Wally and her team at Autobahn Cafe for not only making great sandwiches (meticulously wrapped in "halfs" with condiments on the side!) but the extras: organic hard cooked eggs, fresh artisan bread, and "homemade cookies for happy sailors."  Wally and her team are special.  

Kincaid's at Jack London Square welcomed our crew with an extended happy hour on Monday and Keith and Tammy from CCK (California Canoe and Kayak)  raised a glass (or two) to support our team.  (as well as a providing a few last minute necessities for the crew).

Thank you to our safety gear partner Spinlock, Harken and Team McLube for keeping things moving with their Sailkote and Onedrop products.

Apologies to all those I have not mentioned here!  There are many others!

And They're Off!

Hello all,

Sylvia Seaberg fired the starting gun at 1:50PM yesterday and J/World's Hula Girl was off to Hawaii!  The team got a great start on starboard, close to the San Francisco shore in order to stay out of the last of the flood tide.  They tacked to the Golden Gate bridge on port, ducked a boat and road the ebb out.  Winds were in the mid-teens at the start, but the crew were set-up from the dock to switch to a larger headsail once the met lighter winds West of the Golden Gate.

As the gun went off at 1:50 PM., J/World's Hula Girl started the 2012 Pacific Cup!    

Crew photo at the St. FYC.

Additional photos from yesterday can be seen at:

https://plus.google.com/photos/109023981932968922398/albums/5767078811083561985?banner=pwa 

J World San Diego !!!!

Well, things go full circle indeed.

I started teaching at J/World in San Diego years ago, back when the late great Larry Klein owned the shop and was racking up wins in some of the most prestigious sailing events in the world.  I still remember fondly the summer when he (and my good buddy Ron Rosenberg) won the J/24 Worlds, the Etchells Worlds, and the Dragon Worlds (yep, all in one summer!).  That pretty much cinched the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Award for him.

But I'm getting off on a tangent.  J World San Diego.  One of the best year round sailing venues in the world.  Beautiful harbor, great So Cal weather.  A fun fleet of boats.  All good.

So good, in fact, that I am thrilled to report that we here at the main offices running J World in San Francisco and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico have just bought the San Diego location!

JWSD is one of the most respected maritime educational facilities in the world, and has touched tens of thousands of sailors through the years.  If you are a sailor, you probably know more than a couple of our alumni.  We are excited to be the new custodians of this institution, and to maintain, and expand upon, the great and proven programs.  Having another base on the West Coast will also fit in nicely with all the offshore cruising and racing events we do...  and adding another J/120 to the fleet means we'll be able to step up the offerings.

Anyway, more info coming soon.  Just wanted to share the good news.  Right now, we are pretty busy getting ready for the 2012 Pacific Cup race from San Francisco to Hawaii starting next week.  Man, when it rains, it pours.

Race reports coming soon...  all will get posted here directly from Hula Girl.

All the best,

Wayne Zittel
J/World San Francisco
J/World Puerto Vallarta
J/World San Diego (!)