2010 J/80 Tour High-Point Percentage Scoring System
Scoring for the 2010 J/80 USA Tour has been posted. The Class will be using the US Sailing High-Point Percentage Scoring System.

| 05 February 2010 | 2010 J80 Tour Scoring | 

J/80 Selected as a Designated Keelboat OD Fleet at Annapolis Yacht Club
"There is enough movement in current members buying J/80's that we
needed to ensure there was a designated OD Fleet here at the Annapolis Yacht Club", stated AYC Fleet Captain, Jonathan Bartlett. Currently there are 5 members (Rob Mairs, John White, Rich Harrision, Derrick Lynch, Jen and Ken Comerford) that have J80s and more who have expressed a strong interest in purchasing in the near future.

Th following is an example of indicators that this class is going thru a serious growth spurt in the Annapolis area:
1. Just given High Point OD status sanctioning by CBYRA.
2. 16 boats entered in AYC Frostbite series, 2009-2010 season.
3. OD start every Thurs night during the summer in J/World racing.
4. AYC is giving a OD start to the J 80's in 3 of events on the racing calendar for 2010.
5. Rigorous bay schedule.

Annapolis Yacht Club has a strong history of supporting OD keelboat racing in Annapolis and the J 80 class is a current "can't miss."

2010 Schedule for the class on the Chesapeake is as follows including
events that local Bay sailors will be attending outside of the region.
April 30 -May 2 Annapolis NOODs Annapolis, MD
May 22-23 EYC One-Design Annapolis, MD
June 19-20 AYC Annual Regatta Annapolis, MD
Jul 18-20 Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge Annapolis, MD
Aug 24 AYC Summer One-Design Annapolis, MD
Sept 4-6 CBYRA Race Week Annapolis, MD
Sept 9-12 J/80 NA's Marion, MA
Oct 4-9 J/80 Worlds Newport, RI

You can follow this growing Fleet on Facebook (J80 Fleet 10) or using the following link to their website.

| 05 February 2010 | Fleet 10 Link | 

2010 USA J/80 Tour Continues
The J/80 class kicked off the first event of the USA Tour in fine fashion with 19 boats making the trek to Key West for five days of championship racing. The third largest fleet, and the only one to grow at least 20% from the prior year, the J/80 class had great racing with many past champions in the fleet.

The fleet now moves to St. Petersburg, FL for the NOOD Regatta in February, and then continues working up the coast culminating with the J/80 World Championship in Newport, Rhode Island. If you can't do them all, partner up with a buddy to share the program and enjoy great sailing, world class competition, and camaraderie in some of the worlds most famous seaports.

Jan 18-22 Key West Race Week - J/80 Midwinters
Feb 12-14 St. Petersburg NOOD Regatta St. Petersburg, FL
Apr 9-11 Charleston Race Week Charleston, SC
May 28-Jun 2 Annapolis NOOD Regatta Annapolis, MD
Jun 6-7 Sprit Fest Shelter Island, Long Island
Jul 9-11 Sail Newport Regatta Newport, RI
Aug 6-8 Buzzards Bay Regatta Marion, MA
Sep 9-12 North American Championship Marion, MA
Oct 4-9 J/80 World Championship Newport, RI

| 03 February 2010 | 

(Re-)Formation of Fleet 17 - Western Long Island Sound
While the East Coast circuit is moving on from Key West to St Pete, many of the J80 sailors who don't have the time to attend all the national races are gearing up for an active local season and the perspective to attend a few of the major races in their area. Fleet 17 on the western Long Island Sound has been inactive for several years and the word on the Sound was that if you wanted to do OD keelboat racing you needed to buy a J105. But now with the 2010 Nationals in Buzzards Bay, the 2010 Worlds in Newport and the 2011 Nationals at Larchmont Yacht Club, J80s are back on the Long Island Sound! The class lists approx. twenty J80s from New Jersey all the way up the eastern end of the Sound and the number is growing - some of the local J105 owners are adding a J80 to their portfolio to participate in the high profile events of the coming seasons.

In an effort to organize the fleet, Kerry Klingler and Ansgar Chorhummel are inviting all current and prospective J80 owners to an inaugural meeting of the new Fleet 17 at Larchmont Yacht Club on February 4th at 7pm. The goal of this meeting is to officially form the fleet, agree on a local J80 race schedule complementing the national races and plan other events like race clinics, tactics seminars, etc. If you are interested to join us or have any questions or suggestions, contact Kerry or Ansgar.

By Kerry Klingler & Ansgar Chorhummel
Fleet 17 - Western Long Island Sound

| 27 January 2010 | 

Glen Darden and Le Tigre win a Tightly Contested Key West Race Week
The J/80s have enjoyed a great Mid-Winter Championship in Key West with class leaders trading places during the week. Going into Race 9, the team on Le Tigre enjoyed a slight-comfort zone of six points over Little Feat who posted a 1-1 on Thursday. Sitting in third place only one point behind Little Feat was Rascal. Le Tigre, co-owned by Glenn Darden and Reese Hilliard of Forth Worth, TX, Darden has competed in eight Key West race weeks, but has never taken a top win. Until now. An experienced racing sailor, he is a past J/105 North American Champion and has won the J/80 Worlds. This week, the team placed third or better in seven of 10 starts in capturing the J/80 Mid-Winter Championship, which was contested as part of Key West 2010. Little Feat, skippered by Jeff Johnstone
of J/Boats, won both races on Friday to get within one point of Le Tigre.

"We had a great battle with Jeff and were just able to hold on", said Darden, who had Ullman pro Max Skelley aboard as tactician.

Wrapping up Fridays racing, Will Welles team on Rascal maintained third overall with a respectable 5-2 day, and Kerry Klinglers Lifted took a third-place finish in Race 9, tying in points with Al Minellas Connecticut based entry, Relentless for fourth overall.

"The depth of the competition was much better than ever before", said Jay Lutz, calling tactics on SWE 803. Magnus Tyremans entry (Sweden) placed sixth in fleet, not bad for the tough, 19-boat class battle. Blake Billman was on the bow and Cal Herman worked the middle. Winning race 2, and finishing in the top ten consistently, the SWE 803 team followed the suspense of the final races between Le Tigre and Little Feat. "The lead boat almost lost it", Herman said. One extra point and that wouldve been the case.

By Bill Wagner and Rebecca Burg

| 25 January 2010 | Article Begins on Page 2 | 

John Storck, Jr. Awarded the Paul Washburn Award For The Love of the Sport
John Storck Jr., has said on many occasions that it is truly a blessing that his four children have taken to sailing with such enthusiasm.

Storck, a resident of Huntington, NY, is a lifelong sailor so it is certainly rewarding to see his kids enjoying spending time on the water capturing the wind as well.

However, it is no accident that John III, Erik, Kaity and Ian Storck have come to love sailing as much as their father. All four were introduced to the sport in a positive environment that fostered a passion.

John Stork Jr., and wife Colette brought each child aboard the family cruiser-racer Jonrob when they were babies. The kids learned the basic fundamentals of sailing while cruising Long Island Sound aboard the Ericson 39 and were later introduced to the competitive side of the sport as crew for their father when he raced in local events sponsored by Centerport Yacht Club or Lloyd Harbor Yacht Club.
Our kids literally grew up on the Jonrob doing summer cruises and were able to experience sailing in its purest form, Storck said.

All four children attended sailing school to further hone their skills, learning how to steer and trim in the Optimist dinghy and Club 420 classes. During those years John Jr., and Colette were the absolute antithesis of the infamous helicopter parents that push their kids to compete and focus solely on results.

When my kids were junior sailors, I rarely ever went to the regatta unless I was working on the race committee, Storck said. If John and Erik were doing a big regatta, I would take Kaity and Ian to the zoo. My wife and I never wanted to put any pressure on the kids.

That approach paid dividends as the Storck children came to love sailboat racing on their own terms and for personal enjoyment. Perhaps not coincidentally, all four have developed into high-level performers. John Storck III captured the 2005 Co-Ed Dinghy National Championship while sailing at Hobart and is now the intercollegiate head coach at Dartmouth. Erik Storck was a two-time All-American sailor at Dartmouth and is currently serving as an assistant coach at Stanford while pursuing an Olympic campaign in 49er class. Kaity Storck was named the Female College Sailor of the Year while at Tufts and is now mounting an Olympic campaign in 470 class.

My children have come to love sailing more than I do. They have all been very successful at sailing and have taken an active interest in furthering the sport, John Jr., said. My wife and I have been blessed. Young people are the future of our sport and we managed to nurture a passion for sailing in all of our children.

That statement sums up why John Storck Jr., was an ideal recipient of the Paul Washburn Award For The Love of the Sport, which is presented annually by Premiere Racing. Steve Washburn, a Long Beach, CA, resident and long-time race committee volunteer for Key West, created the special award to honor his youngest son, who passed away suddenly three years ago.

Washburn fostered a love for sailing in his three sons in much the same manner as Storck, taking them cruising aboard the family Columbia 52 and racing on a B-25. Young Paul absolutely loved the sport and was named Outstanding Beginning Sailor by the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club.

Previous winners of the Paul Washburn Award are Farr 30 sailors John and Linda Edwards of Solomons, MD, and Melges 24 skipper Bruce Ayres of Newport Beach, CA. Both the Edwards and Ayres are competing in Key West 2010, presented by Nautica.

Rather than ride around in a motorboat coaching or watching his children sail, John Storck Jr., chose to do something more constructive by serving as president of the United States Optimist Dinghy Association. In that role, Storck was able to contribute greatly to junior sailing and the development of young competitors. He has organized boat donations that enable Huntington area children learn to sail through a local YMCA program and has volunteered countless hours as a race committee worker.

For the past eight years, the entire Storck family has come together to successfully campaign a J/80 named Rumor. John III, Erik and Kaity were all aboard last year as Rumor repeated as class champion at Key West 2009. Colette has been an instrumental member of the team by organizing travel plans and provisioning the boat, just as she played a major role in the childrens development by driving them to regattas.

Storck said sailing has brought the family together and helped create a special bond among the siblings. Its because of sailing that theyre all very close and its because of sailing that they have the utmost respect for each other, on and off the water.

Erik Storck is here in Key West this year to serve as tactician for his father and said he relishes their time on the water together. Erik did not hesitate when asked what his parents did to encourage each of the children to excel in sailing.

First and foremost, they exposed us to the full spectrum of the sport. Growing up, we experienced big boat cruising and racing as well as dinghy racing, he said. When we all started doing our own racing at the junior level, there were never any goals or expectations in terms of results. It was all about having fun and enjoying the experience. Our parents were always there to just support us and provide opportunities, for which we are all very thankful.

Erik Storck said his father very subtly instilled a passion for sailing in the four children that will carry on forever. John Storck Jr., whose home port has always been Huntington Bay on the North Shore of Long Island, learned the joys and rewards of sailing from his own father.

My dads biggest goal is to create Sailors for Life. That is the motto that he lives by, Erik said.

by Bill Wagner

| 25 January 2010 | Original Article on page 14 | 

Following the J/80 Class at Key West Race Week
Follow the J80 action at Key West Race Week in real time! Kattack is now using real time GPS technology to track the action and the J80 Class will be outfitted with units for the week. Now you can have a drink over the KWRW racers performances before they can!

| 13 January 2010 | Kattack Website | 

J/80's Have the 3rd Largest Fleet at Key West Race Week 2010!
Use the link below to follow the action and cheer on your local team.

| 04 January 2010 | KWRW Homepage | 

2010 J/80 Worlds Site is On-line
The 2010 J/80 Worlds website is now online with the Preliminary Notice of Regatta and general travel information. Many more details will be filled in during the coming weeks, but this will get J/80 sailors started on their planning for this pinnacle event in 2010.

| 24 November 2009 | 2010 Worlds Website | 

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