Seattle Yacht Club’s classic three-day autumn sailboat racing event saw the full range of conditions and great competition across all fleets, and the 12 one-design J/105s had some of the best action.
By the end of October, a Puget Sound sailor’s senses begin to detect it. That chilly breeze nipping at our nose. The autumnal color palatte on the hill behind Shilshole deepening from yellows and reds to maroons, oranges, and browns. And whether it’s the moisture in the air or the wafts of freshly baked rolls for the grand awards ceremony dinner at elegant Seattle Yacht Club—it smells like Grand Prix. By the end of the weekend, you can add the taste of salt spray and the aroma of… “well-used” foulies… to the sensory kaleidoscope.
This year’s long-weekend test of sailing mettle provided what Grand Prix always does: a mix of distance and buoy racing in a potpourri of PNW racing conditions that only the shoulder seasons provide. For the 44 participating boats across six classes—notably with all fleets racing under the ORC handicap if they weren’t one-design—it was all you’d hope for and then some. The racing was tight around the fleet, but it’s hard to say that any fleet was more exciting than the largest one on the water, which was one-design to boot. Here’s the rundown on the action from the class winner in the 12-boat J/105 fleet, skipper Jeffrey Pace of Liftoff.
Liftoff Skipper Jeffrey Pace’s J/105 Fleet Report
We had 12 J/105s out for the Seattle Yacht Club (SYC) Grand Prix this weekend for a very diverse set of races and conditions, ranging from light sub-5 knots to strong 25-plus knots.
The regatta kicked off on a sunny Friday with light northerly winds, and the J/105 fleet took off on a two-lap moderate-length buoy race, stretching between Shilshole Bay and roughly north of Carkeek Park. Moose Unknown took an early lead in the first lap, followed by Insubordination, Peer Gynt, Kinetic, and Liftoff. Liftoff gained ground on the second beat, thanks in part to favorable currents near the shore. The wind clocked rapidly to the east as boats made their way to the windward mark. Moose rounded well ahead, followed by Insubordination, Kinetic, and Liftoff. On the second downwind leg, the boats to the west benefited from more consistent wind further from land obstruction. Moose secured a commanding first-place finish, followed by Liftoff, Insubordination, Kinetic, and Peer Gynt.
On Saturday, the conditions cooperated to allow for the distance race for the regatta. The J/105 course took the fleet from Shilshole to Blakely Rock, Duwamish Head, and a temporary mark 3 nautical miles north of Meadow Point. The wind blew from the S to SE with good pressure in the teens, and fortunately no wind holes in Elliott Bay! Boats hitting the pin on port tack made out well, while the rest of the fleet quickly tacked over to begin the long upwind leg to Blakely Rock. Moose and Jaded led the fleet, followed closely by Panic, Kinetic, Peer Gynt, and Liftoff. Panic gained ground and overtook Liftoff before reaching the rock. Insubordination went for a keel-polishing tight rounding on the south side of the rock, snagging some positions as a result.
On the reach to Duwamish Head, Jaded and Moose battled for the lead, followed by Kinetic and Liftoff. Insubordination and Peer Gynt took a lane to the north. After rounding Duwamish Head, some boats jibed west but ran out of wind, forcing them to jibe back. The fleet then made a run for Magnolia and played the favorable conditions near shore. Leaving West Point, the drag race resumed with Moose ahead, followed by Panic and Liftoff. Jaded was in the mix and slightly leeward. Kinetic and others took a wise windward lane and made up some ground as the fleet converged on the weather mark. Moose drove ahead and rounded with a solid lead. Jaded, Insub, and Liftoff went in overlapped, perhaps Kinetic too. The final beat was a light one as the wind and dropped to 6 or 7 knots. Moose took first, Insub locked in second, staying to the west, and Panic took third. Kinetic, Liftoff, and Peer Gynt had a photo finish with Liftoff clipping 4th, 2 seconds ahead of Kinetic, and Peer Gynt just behind at the pin.
Sunday began with boats waiting ashore while SYC evaluated winds blowing into the 30 knot range. After a delay, the fleet headed out for a blustery final buoy race. Winds blew strong from the south, an we observed as gusts to the upper 20s and lulls in the high teens. Liftoff, Panic, and at least one other boat reefed their mains. The race kicked off with Peer Gynt near pin end, followed by Liftoff and Moose. Liftoff and Moose tacked to port, while Peer Gynt took the inside lane. As the fleet converged, Peer Gynt knifed in for first at the windward rounding, followed closely by Liftoff and Moose. Peer Gynt slipped ahead and Liftoff followed as we ran towards Golden Gardens. Insub slipped by to the west as Liftoff dealt with an hour-glassed spinnaker. Peer Gynt rounded ahead, with Insub and Liftoff closely behind. On the final beat, Liftoff was able to claw their way past the leaders and take first for the day. Peer Gynt took second, and Jaded took third in a tight battle with Kinetic right at the boat, followed by Insub, Moose, and Panic.
So, in spite of Moose Unknown’s impressive pair of bullets to start the regatta, Liftoff’s final race win put them a point ahead and gave them the top spot on a hard-fought, fun-spirited J/105 podium. Around the fleet, top performances went to John Buchan’s TP 52 Glory in Class 1, Jonathant McKee’s Riptide 44 Dark Star in Class 2, John Hoag’s 1D35 Shrek in Class 3, Michael Fagundo’s Farr 30 Bat Out Of Hell in Class 5, and Gerry Gilbert’s Veloce topping the one-design J/80 fleet.
As always, SYC put on a top-notch event, capped by their wrap up dinner and awards ceremony that truly stands apart from other regatta celebrations in the region. Congrats to all the sailors for sailing in what is sure to be remembered as another fabulous running in the Grand Prix tradition.
Photos courtesy of Seattle Yacht Club.
