It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of Sally Helme, a remarkable figure whose unwavering commitment to advancing women’s participation in sailing has left an enduring legacy. Sally was more than a sailor; she was a visionary leader who championed equality, empowerment and excellence. Her journey began as a spirited young woman from Shelter Island sailing for her college team at Princeton; but it was her subsequent involvement that truly set her apart as she earned coveted seats on numerous boards and committees dedicated to promoting sailing.

As the first female publisher in the sailing industry, Sally’s tenure at two widely read and respected sailing magazines reshaped the narrative. She believed in the power of representation, advocating for positive depictions of women – captains, crew, and adventurers – across glossy pages. Through captivating photos and insightful articles, she illuminated the challenges, triumphs, and sheer joy of life on the water.

In 1994, she joined the New York Times Magazine Group as Associate Publisher. Her responsibilities spanned two iconic sailing titles: Cruising World and Sailing World Magazines. Under her leadership, these publications became essential reading for sailors worldwide. By 1998, she had ascended to the position of Publisher for both titles, a role she would hold for more than two decades.

Sally’s influence extended beyond print; it rippled across regattas and events. As Group Publisher, she oversaw not only Cruising World and Sailing World, but also the National Offshore One Design (NOOD) regattas…an integral part of the sailing calendar. In 2020, Sally transitioned to the esteemed role of Publisher Emeritus under the Bonnier Group.

Sally understood that sailing wasn’t just about wind and tides; it was about freedom, confidence and the bonds forged under open skies. As a past president of Sail America – an essential trade association – she tirelessly advocated for sailing-related products and services. Her impact reverberated through organizations like Sail Newport and US Sailing, where her wisdom and passion guided decisions that shaped our maritime landscape. As a true leader within the National Sailing Hall of Fame for more than 15 years, Sally tirelessly worked to honor the legacy of sailing’s pioneers, reminding us that the skills learned on the water carry into life lessons for all.

As we bid farewell to Sally, we honor her spirit, her resilience and her unwavering belief in the transformative power of sailing. We are truly grateful for the excellent work she did as Chair of the Sailing Hall of Fame Selection Committee. She was an important leader in the marine industry and the sport of sailing. Sally leaves behind a wake of inspiration, urging us all to hoist our sails, embrace the horizon and navigate life’s currents with courage and grace. She will be missed.

Fair winds, Sally Helme. May your legacy sail on.

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Final Results

Jeffrey Todd and his teammates on the J/22 Hot Toddy have finished second in their class at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in Annapolis more times than they can, or care, to remember, but this weekend they finally broke the curse with a win in their 22-boat fleet. After sailing five races in extremely challenging conditions: light winds, strong currents and a talent-packed fleet of competitors, Todd and his crew prevailed with a consistent string of top-five finishes.

“We are experienced Chesapeake Bay sailors, so we’re used to dealing with the conditions we had this weekend,” Todd said. “These are our normal sailing conditions, which may be frustrating for others, but we’re used to it.”

Todd contributed his team’s success over the three-day regatta to good starts and boatspeed, but mainly to his team keeping their cool when things went wonky. “We were always in the hunt at the first weather mark and a couple of times we passed people on the run,” he says. “In the short, half-mile legs we had, we had to get a good start and stay ahead. We set the rig loose, the headstay loose and just tried to keep the boat moving and find the breeze. The boat needs power.”

The J/22s and other classes racing closer to the entrance to the Severn River enjoyed more localized wind throughout the weekend while the classes racing further out in the Chesapeake Bay were less fortunate. On the circle with J/35s, J/105s and J/80s—the later being the two of the regatta’s larger classes—only two races were completed over three days, putting a premium on top finishes. 

J/80 division winners Will and Marie Crump and Thomas Klok’s R80 won the only race on Saturday and finished fourth in Sunday’s one and only race—and just barely—to win the division.

“The last race was really crazy,” Will Crump says. “We actually won the pin end, and in this kind of race, what you’d normally expect would be to win the pin, go into the positive current, extend, tack and then cross the fleet.”

But that’s not how it played out. 

“We got out there and realized there was more wind in the middle of the course,” Crump says. “So we got antsy and tacked back into the middle of the course.”

They rounded the first mark eighth in a cluster of J/105s and J/80s and battled their way toward the front of the fleet.

“It was hard to get clear air on the way down the run, but we found the best breeze we could. We may have lost a couple of boats early but then gained a few back.”

On the next leg, they decided to “do something totally different” and sailed toward the western shoreline in search of more breeze. “That didn’t work out either,” Crump says, and it wasn’t until they started the final downwind leg (still in ninth) when they lucked into a localized streak of wind. “We picked up four or five boats to cross the line in fourth place,” Crump says. “It was just enough.”

On the very same racecourse, Cedric Lewis and Fredrik Salvesen’s J/105 Mirage was having its own battle. Having won the previous day’s race they were in command, but then found themselves going head-to-head with Ray Wulff’s team on Patriot when the race committee set the fleet off into the unpredictable and light wind.

“We got a clean start—not the perfect one—and after a long and crazy race, we basically finished a foot behind Patriot,” Lewis says.

That set up Mirage with a 1-point lead going into what was expected to be the regatta’s final race, which Patriot was winning by a large margin before the race committee canceled it on account of too little wind. 

A new addition for the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta in Annapolis was a daily distance-race for a Beneteau First 24 class. With a fleet of four boats, all teams were tasked with navigating the Chesapeake Bay’s complex currents and winds, and each day produced a different winner. In the end, Peter Lalli’s team on Electric Mayhem, from Huntersville, North Carolina, prevailed in a three-way tie after winning the final 10-mile race. 

“There were quite a few lead changes, which made it a lot of fun,” Lalli said. “It’s really incredible that in two of the three races the top-three teams finished within a minute of each other after 10 or so miles of racing. This was the first time the fleet had been here and we had such a good time together.”

The trickiest of all the race circles was that set in the middle of the Chesapeake’s strongest current and packed with Viper 640s, J/70s and J/30s. The Vipers and J/70s were two of the largest fleets at the regatta, which made it all the more challenging for teams to find clear wind and avoid the worst of the current.

The Viper 640s were sailing their Atlantic Coast Championship and Mary Ewenson’s team on Evil Hiss prevailed after a nailbiter of a day. With a second and a first in their score line from the previous day, they led the series but struggled in the morning’s first race—until the final feet before the finish.

“There were three boats between us and the committee boat all piled up and we didn’t know if we got them all,” Ewenson said. “They got tangled up with each other and we were able to slide through.”

Ewenson and her crew managed a fifth in the final race of the series to win the regatta by only 2 points over Jay Rhame and Peter Beardsley’s Great Scott. “For this weekend current was the story. It was nuts,” Ewenson says, “but the racing was great and the Viper fleet is super deep right now, so it was really fun.”

A similar story played out in the J/70s with Ian Hill’s Sitella leading the regatta before the day’s one and only race. John Heaton’s Emperia got the better of the start and went on to win the race while Sitella battled to recover from mid-fleet.

“We got fouled in the start and that put us on the backfoot a bit,” said Terry Hutchinson, Sitella’s tactician. “But we had a good first beat, got around the top mark in 18th and clawed our way back to 11th from there.”

Patience, he says, was the key to Sitella saving enough points to win by 2, and Hutchinson credited crewmates Dan Morris and Dave Hughes—a two-time Olympic sailor—for ways to get back into the race. “Dave was a huge help,” Hutchinson said. “This is the first time we’ve sailed together, and I can see why he has sailed for our country twice at the Olympics. He’s really good.”

With the regatta’s awards presented at host Annapolis Yacht Club at the conclusion of racing on Sunday afternoon, Commodore Ed Hartman drew the regatta’s overall winner from amongst individual class winners, and it was Team Mirage that finally earned a coveted berth at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Caribbean Championship in October. 

“We’ve won this regatta so many times and never won the overall,” said Mirage’s navigator Molly Wilmer. “Honestly, we always thought it was rigged against us, so this is amazing and we will definitely be there. We’re going for sure, and we’re going to win it.”

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Harry Melges IV, of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and Daniela Moroz, of Lafayette, California, were selected as the 2021 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year for their outstanding sailing performance in 2021.

At only 21 years old, this year marks the third time that kiter Daniela Moroz has been named US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. “It’s such an honor to win this award for the third time,” said Moroz. “All year I was just focused on being the best sailor I could be, so this is a pleasant surprise.”

In 2021, Moroz dominated the female Formula Kite class, winning Women’s Formula Kite Worlds and the Formula Kite European Championships. She was the top female at both the San Francisco and Clearwater US Open Sailing Series events.

Raised in the San Francisco Bay area, Moroz competed in her first international event at age 14, winning her first World Championship only a year later, at 15. Since then, she has won five world championships and four European championships. Moroz is currently a student at the University of Hawaii while she campaigns for the 2024 Olympic games, where the Formula Kite will make its Olympic debut.

Winning his first-ever Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award, Harry Melges IV brings a vast amount of experience to the table for his young age. In 2021, Melges was a two-time E Scow National Champion (the rescheduled 2020 nationals were sailed in 2021), Melges 24 Gold Cup winner, and a member of the winning IC37 East Coast Championship crew, among others.

“Winning this award is such an honor to me, since my grandfather won it 60 years ago,” said Melges. “I’ve worked hard this season and I am so glad to be able to take home this trophy.”

Growing up around such accomplished sailors (his grandfather, Harry “Buddy” Melges, won Olympic gold and bronze in the Soling and Flying Dutchman), it was only natural that Melges got an early start. He began racing at age six, hitching rides on the assortment of Scows sailed on his home waters of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Besides his experience in Scows and sport keelboats, Melges was also a member of the US Sailing Team. He campaigned for the 2020 Olympic Games in the 49er with fellow Wisconsinite Finn Rowe.

Established in 1961 by US Sailing and sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A. since 1980, the annual presentation of US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards are considered the sport’s ultimate recognition of an individual’s outstanding on-the-water achievements for the calendar year. Winners are chosen from a pool of nominees by panels of past winners and imminent sailing journalists and dignitaries.

The partnership between Rolex and US Sailing is natural considering the Swiss watchmaker’s long-term commitment to fostering yachting excellence worldwide. Rolex is a committed partner of the most prestigious yacht clubs around the country, including the St. Francis Yacht Club. Rolex shares the highest standards of excellence and superior performance with US Sailing, acting together as joint custodians of yachting’s finest spirit.

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With the last remaining event of the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta about to get underway with Sunsail in the British Virgin Islands for the season championship, NOOD organizers announced the dates of their 2020 regattas, the 32nd edition of the national series, which kicks off in February with the warm winter winds of St. Petersburg. One important date change for the Annapolis NOOD finds the regatta one week later, allowing for early season boat launching, prep and race team training.

St. Petersburg, Feb 14-16, Venue: St. Petersburg Yacht Club
San Diego March 20-22 Venue: San Diego Yacht Club & Coronado Yacht Club
Annapolis May 15-17 Venue: Annapolis Yacht Club
Chicago June 12-14 Venue: Chicago Yacht Club
Marblehead 23-26 Venue: Corinthian Yacht Club
British Virgin Islands (NOOD Caribbean Championship), October 25-30 (subject to change)

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Olaf Harken and his older brother, Peter, created the hugely successful rope handling business that bears their name, by working hard, delivering excellence, and having fun every day.

Harken, Inc. makes marine hardware, hydraulics and winch systems for racing and cruising sailboats of all types and sizes. Industrial hardware applications include the commercial marine, architectural, and rope access and rescue industries.

The brothers took a lot of chances over the years – and employees are encouraged to do the same.

When Olaf Harken was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2014 along with Peter, he explained the brothers’ business philosophy: “When trying new stuff our rule is to ask, ‘if it all goes bad, can we survive?’ Then we go to the bar and forget what we just said and do it anyway!”

Olaf and Peter quickly learned that the real fuel behind a company’s success is its people.

“Peter and I were not very smart,” Olaf said in his 2015 memoir Fun Times in Boats, Blocks & Business, “but we did know that success is linked directly to trust and treating people with dignity, and maybe a little sprinkling of humor.”

The Harken story has been full of twists, turns, successes, and reinventions, but through it all the goal of challenging the status quo and commitment to being at the front remains.

At Harken headquarters in Pewaukee, Peter Harken told an assembly of Harken members:

“My brother did all the hard work so I could have all the fun.

“During the days when the company was just getting going, Olaf was in charge of the money. He kept us in business. If I had been in charge of that we would have been in big trouble.”

“His legacy is in this culture. So, let’s just keep doing what we do. Just keep getting better. You are a great family. Thanks a lot. He’ll be watching you, so no sloughing off!”

Bill Goggins, CEO Harken read this passage from Olaf’s autobiography in remembrance:

“Peter and I have long believed there is a word that should apply to almost every action and decision. That word is honesty. I got my first lesson in honesty shortly after we started the business—back when we were building those first six boats for Ohio State University. Like almost every boatbuilder, we were behind by quite a few weeks. When our customers called and wanted to know when we were going to deliver, I lied. I said they would be ready in about a week. Peter overheard me and was furious. He made me call them back and tell them I was wrong, that we were further behind and would not be able to deliver for a few more weeks. This was very embarrassing, but it taught me a good lesson. For one thing, I didn’t have to keep on lying each week. Taking the beating once is a lot easier than building one lie on top of another. It’s not easy to do and the customer is going to be angry or disappointed, but that’s the end of it.”

Goggins also said, “You couldn’t have scripted a nicer weekend for Olaf than the one just past. Pewaukee Yacht Club honored Olaf on Saturday night with a Lifetime Achievement Award to a full house standing ovation. He rose, walked to the front and accepted the award with his usual grace and dignity. The evening was highlighted by Olaf and Ruth on the dance floor. Sunday was a simple Packer game with his family and then, a remarkable chance 30-minute walk with his brother in the sunshine. He died peacefully in his sleep with his loved ones nearby. The company mourns his loss; however the company celebrates his life by doing what we do…every day…into a bright future.”

Olaf Harken was born of Dutch and Swedish parents in Indonesia at the beginning of World War II. In 1941 the Japanese attacked Indonesia. During the fighting and nightly bombings, Peter, Olaf, and their Swedish mother managed to escape to Borneo. Their Dutch father, Joe joined the very small Dutch army and helped fight the Japanese until his capture. Joe was imprisoned for five years and was not liberated until the end of the war. Meanwhile, Peter, Olaf, and mother Ulla lived first in Borneo, were then troop-shipped to New Zealand for a year, to Australia for another year, and finally shipped to San Francisco in 1944. Here they were miraculously reunited with their father in 1946 after the war was over.

After studying at Georgia Tech, Olaf Harken took an engineering job in New York City, but in 1967 he returned to Wisconsin to help Peter build boats for the college market. “Why I made that decision then I’ll never know,” said Olaf.

Inside the office were a couple of doors on saw horses used as desktops, an old typewriter, a telephone, and a file cabinet. A plastic sheet separated the offices from the fiberglass and assembly area. Marketing consisted of all-night drives with Peter at the wheel and Olaf typing brochures in the back seat of an old Chevy wagon. That first year they made $3,800-together.

The Harkens aren’t sure exactly when the turnabout happened, but Olaf the engineer ended up running the business side of Harken Inc., with Peter the economist handling design and production. “Peter designed the blocks, and knew more about manufacturing than me,” Olaf said. “Olaf was more patient, better at the business than me,” Peter said. “Each of us was better at the other guys’ education. We kept it quiet, figuring people wouldn’t want blocks designed by an economist.”

Harken is survived by his wife of 47 years Ruth, three daughters, four granddaughters and one grandson. Preliminary plans include a visitation and service Saturday morning, October 26 at Galilee Lutheran Church in Pewaukee, followed immediately by a celebration at Harken corporate headquarters. For overseas friends, another celebration of Olaf’s life will be held during the annual METS show in Amsterdam in November.

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Airbus and American Magic announce innovation partnership

Frenchman Jean-Brice Dumont, the executive vice president of the aeronautical juggernaut Airbus, put it quite simply: “When boats start to fly, we are interested. We think we can bring something. We think we can learn something.” And while those sentiments are certainly a very simple way of looking at a very complex concept, with that Dumont briefly summed up his firm’s motivation in joining forces with the American Magic syndicate for the 36th edition of the America’s Cup, scheduled to commence in 2021.

The alliance between Airbus, the newly named Innovation Partner, and American Magic was proclaimed this week at a press conference and reception in the famous Model Room of the New York Yacht Club, the once and – if American Magic fulfills its stated mission – future home of the Auld Mug on Manhattan’s West 44th Street. In making the announcement, Dumont was joined on a podium with the syndicate’s skipper Terry Hutchinson and CEO Hap Fauth; team principals Doug Devos and auto-racing legend Roger Penske, as well as COO Rob Oulette, were also in attendance.

Dumont wasn’t kidding with the “flying boat” remark; defender Team New Zealand has decreed that the next Cup will be contested in radical, fully foiling 75-foot monohulls with a crew of 11. The foils, not unlike the wings of an Airbus aircraft, will obviously be a crucial component of the design. Dumont said Airbus engineers were providing onsite technical expertise and assistance with the naval architects designing American Magic’s two AC75 racers, Botin Partners, and at the team’s construction headquarters in Bristol, Rhode Island.

“This engineering partnership has been active for the better part of 2018 and is nothing short of awesome,” said Hutchinson. “Together we will push sailing technology forward, win the biggest prize in the sport, and inspire sailors here at home and around the world.”

It must be noted that this is not the first America’s Cup rodeo for Airbus, having partnered with Oracle Team USA in the last event, which was sailed in high-performance foiling catamarans. Hutchinson said that the company’s previous Cup experience was critical in establishing this new allegiance. And for its part, Airbus has stated that they have benefited through their involvement with the Cup by improving wingtip designs on their A350 airline and by developing new instrumentation that is used across the board in other ongoing aircraft projects.

Of course, Oracle Team USA came up short in their defense of the America’s Cup in Bermuda, a matter Dumont hopes to rectify this time around. “We didn’t win, but we learned,” he said. “This time, we hope to win and to learn.”

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Leg 4, Melbourne to Hong Kong, day 15 The sea state has changed and the boat is flying off the waves on board Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag. Photo by Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race. 16 January, 2018.

Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag were showing no signs of relinquishing their grip on the Leg 4 lead on Tuesday as they geared up to break the 1,000-miles-to-go barrier.

Hell-bent on arriving in their home port of Hong Kong as heroes, Scallywag have maintained their comfortable lead of 73 miles over closest rivals Vestas 11th Hour Racing as the action reaches fever pitch.

The seven international teams celebrated two weeks at sea since leaving Melbourne with optimal conditions – the north-easterly trade winds continue to fire them towards the finish.

At 1300 UTC Scallywag were rocketing along at more than 20 knots, more than two knots quicker than any other team aside from team AkzoNobel in fourth, some 103 miles back.

In fact the only team not to lose miles to Scallywag in the six hours leading up to the position report was third-placed Dongfeng Race Team, who managed to claw back half a mile.

Charles Caudrelier’s men will have to pull something bigger out of the bag if they want to overhaul Scallywag at this stage of the race – however Vestas 11th Hour Racing, at 14 miles ahead, may present a more realistic target.

If Dongfeng can overhaul Vestas and finish second behind Scallywag, the significance of boats from Hong Kong and China atop the table at the first ever stopover in Hong Kong would be massive.

Leg 4, Melbourne to Hong Kong, day 15 on board Dongfeng. Photo by Martin Keruzore/Volvo Ocean Race. 16 January, 2018. sailing downwind into the trades winds heading to Hong Kong.

“It’s a new experience for us but it’s a good one,” Scallywag skipper Dave Witt said. “We’ve only got 1,300 miles to go, so we’re looking ok. We’re in a pretty strong position, and we’re going to get further ahead at the moment. The weather pattern suits us but the others are going to fall out of it. I expect us to extend our lead.”

Witt revealed the main threat to their impending victory was not from the other crews but from the weather. His crew is currently facing head-on seas of up to four metres, with boat speeds of more than 20 knots.

“We’ve just got try not to break the boat,” he added. “Providing we can keep the boat in one piece we’re going to have a nice lead going into Hong Kong. We’re really looking forward to it.”

Another 70 miles behind the trio of teams desperately trying to hunt down Scallywag, Leg 2 and 3 winners MAPFRE were having to consolidate their fifth place, conscious of attack from Turn the Tide on Plastic and Team Brunel in sixth and seventh.

While Scallywag make the most of continuing breeze, winds at the back of the fleet are set to drop to around 14 knots, further hampering any hopes of catching up with the group in front.

The latest ETA predicts Scallywag will arrive early afternoon on Friday, UTC.

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It is uncertain at this stage if the yacht will be in full racing trim for the start on Boxing Day.

Wild Oats XI was out of the water and in its cradle at Woolwich Dock, on Sydney Harbour, when a bolt of lightning struck the top of the 45-metre high carbon fibre mast during a thunderstorm early Sunday morning.

The 10 million volt-plus discharge from the lightning destroyed a significant number of electronic instruments, all of which are vital if the yacht is to maintain maximum speed and stay on course during the race. What is not known at this stage is if any of the yacht’s carbon fibre rigging was damaged by the strike.

“It’s a major blow for us on the eve of the big race,” said Sandy Oatley. “However, I’m sure our great team will have everything ready for the start on Boxing Day. There is no stopping them.”

Sandy Oatley was quick to recognise the support offered to Wild Oats XI by Peter Harburg, owner of near sistership, Black Jack. On Harburg’s invitation, Wild Oats XI’s shore team manager, Paul Magee, flew to Brisbane today to see what equipment existed in Black Jack’s warehouse that might replace instruments damaged by the strike.

“That’s the spirit that exists in this level of ocean racing,” said Sandy Oatley. “We might be arch rivals on the race course, but we’re all supportive of each other when necessary.”

Wild Oats XI’s skipper, Mark Richards, said he was confident the yacht would be ready for the start of the 628-nautical mile classic on Boxing Day.

“I’d like the think that this is the third strike when it comes to bad luck for Wild Oats XI in the Hobart race,” Richards said. “Two years ago the mainsail shredded in a storm; last year the canting keel hydraulic system keel failed, and now we’ve been hit from the heavens.”

Richards added that while rigging checks would continue tomorrow, he believed no damage would be found.

Another line honours favourite for the Hobart race. Comanche, which was docked alongside Wild Oats XI when the storm struck, was not impacted by the lightning strike.

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As the most aggressive-looking one-design yet from Nautor’s Swan, the strict one-design ClubSwan 50 piles grand-prix concepts into a straightforward boat that will challenge amateur crews but reward them with speed, especially when the breeze turns on.

Heel — 18 degrees of it — is something to get used to with the ClubSwan 50. Flat is not fast. This Juan Kouyoumdjian creation is the first one-design of Nautor’s Swan new direction. Where similarly sized Swans of yore were laden with cruising interiors, this one is not. It’s a furniture-free 50-foot one-design race boat to be sailed hard and put away wet (with a dehumidifier, of course). For an owner looking to get into TP52-style boat-on-boat racing without the new-boat arms race, the ClubSwan 50, the judges say, is one way to go, here and now.

“It’s definitely more of a one-design-class racer than an offshore racer,” says Stewart. “With the big cockpit and the clean Euro styling, it’s a bitchin’ looking boat on and off the dock, and the class racing will be a lot of fun when you get to fleets of 15 or 20 boats.”

Considering two dozen owners ordered boats within the first year of the ClubSwan 50’s launch, and a robust regatta circuit is already underway in the Mediterranean, Nautor’s Swan is delivering to a demand in Europe for big-boat class racing — that’s where the one-design action is at. The challenge for faraway American owners, however, is the designer’s intentional disregard for any and all measurement rules. Handicap racing is not the point of the ClubSwan 50, nor its selling point. “The development of a one-design class in North America will be the ultimate success,” says Nautor’s Swan’s Tom Lihan, who is tasked with recruiting U.S. owners, “and that’s the goal.”

Roughly $1.3 million will put the boat on the racecourse, with 10 to 12 crew members to feed and dress. According to the judges, it’s a boat that demands a professional bowman and two good sail trimmers. The one-design sail inventory is robust — mainsail, four upwind and four downwind sails, as well as two storm sails — will require proper management on the boat and of the morning sail shuffle to and from the container.

As a wide, high-volume planing hull with twin rudders (scalloped trailing edges to make them unique), the ClubSwan 50 is also a yacht that requires the owner’s/driver’s undivided attention directed toward the instruments. With only six winches and the use of constrictors to free up winches at times, there’s a lot of dancing through maneuvers. There’s a lot to get right and a lot that can go wrong, but that’s the appeal of big-boat racing, right? Clean mark roundings and precision boathandling are what get you to the podium.

A year of development with first-generation hulls resulted in a 700-pound diet, which puts the class minimum weight at 18,086 pounds (“or somewhere around there,” says Lihan). The biggest weight savings were accomplished by upgrading to a carbon keel fin and trimming materials where overbuilt. Exploring Hull No. 3’s deepest recesses, Tom Rich found no flaws with the construction, and overall, the judges gave the build high marks. Back at Nautor’s yard in Finland, CNC machines cut pre-preg carbon cloth before vacuum-bagging and pressure-cooking the hull with all the interior components and structural bulkheads in place.

The deck-stepped rig sits atop a solid carbon interior structure (Lihan calls it the “phone booth”), which creates a clear centerline runway for sails going to and fro. The interior finish, while minimalist and easy to strip for regattas, says Stewart, is appropriate for the boat’s purpose while retaining just enough touch of Swan luxury.

There’s modern minimalism with the deck hardware as well, says Rich, pointing out that the boat has fewer winches than he’d expect on a boat this size. Two cabin-top winches are in high demand, especially during jibes. The big challenge is jibing in 20 knots of wind without a pedestal, Lihan admits. Consequently, ClubSwan 50 class management is exploring an electric option for the cabin tops, or a pedestal. “There is an option for a pedestal, but nobody has ordered one yet,” he says. “You can’t do reach-to-reach blow-through jibes, so you just do proper outside jibes, come out low to get that last bit of sheet, and then point it up again. It’s one-design, so as long as everyone is doing the same thing, does it really matter?”

In strong winds, the ClubSwan 50 will be a powered-up machine, says Allen, one that will be fun and forgiving to drive but demand solid crew work. With class rules in place, owners already taking charge, and sanctioned regattas scheduled in the U.S. in 2019, there’s now a turnkey platform into big-boat, big-boy, one-design racing.

At a Glance

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As if on cue, in the midst of our BOTY dockside briefing with J/Boats’ Jeff Johnstone, a middle-aged gentleman appears in the companionway, out of the blue. Johnstone introduces him as an owner, from Portland, Oregon, who is trading in his J/46 for a yet-to-be-built J/121. He climbs down the companionway stairs, interrupts the judging team’s Q&A session, and then promptly cites all the races he intends to enter when he takes ownership of Hull No. 14: the Swiftsure, the Oregon Offshore, the Van Isle 360, and even the Pacific Cup from San Francisco to Hawaii. Moments earlier, Johnstone had explained this very concept: The J/121 is a bucket-list boat. This guy is Exhibit A.

“We saw that signature events were attracting record fleets — the Fastnet Race, the Three-Bridge Fiasco in San Francisco, the Chicago-Mac, for example — all these types of short-handed, adventure-style races where it’s more about the experience than winning,” says Johnstone. “We thought that if we could eliminate half the crew on a 40-footer that’s purpose-built for point-to-point racing but still pass the beer-can and daysail test, we’d have people interested.”

Their research led Johnstone and his brother, Alan, to a design concept built around a crew of five. As for rail meat? No need. That’s what the water ballast tanks are for.

Extra hands to get sails up and down? No need there either. There’s an impressive quiver of headsails, most on roller furlers. With the entire inventory hanging from the rig on halyard locks, and sheets and furling lines spilling into the cockpit, the boat could be easily mistaken for a Class 40 — albeit, one that actually goes upwind.

The J/121’s five-sail inventory is designed for racing with a crew of five. The main has a 10 percent first reef, then a deeper second reef. The primary jib is 105 percent, and a heavy-weather inner jib is about 85 percent. For off-the-wind sailing, there’s a Code Zero and an A2 all-purpose runner.

“This is your classic J Boat in that everything is well-thought-out and works well, and it sails really nicely,” says Rich. “You can race the boat with five people, no problem, although I’m sure you’ll end up with more people who want to go.”

While an owner might have to leave a few friends on the dock in order to reap the benefits of 800 pounds of water ballast, Stewart was unsure the rating hit would be worth the trade-off at times. “ORR hits you on water ballast, at least a little,” he says, “so the question will be whether the water-ballast effect on the displacement will outweigh the rating impact. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Regardless, the point of the boat, the judges all agreed, is not windward/leeward racing but point to point where the tanks remain full for long stretches. The water doesn’t have to leave the rail to get a sandwich or relieve itself.

The 121 isn’t configured for cruising, and Johnstone says no one had yet ordered the optional V-berth package. “The interior is function versus form,” he says. There are proper passage-making berths, synthetic flooring, molded furniture and mahogany trim to make it homey enough while taking day-to-day race abuse.

The Johnstones labored long and hard over the deck-hardware mock-ups in order to accommodate the many leads, deflections and loads of the headsail sheets. There isn’t enough side-deck area for athwartships tracks, so the J/121 uses hybrid floating jib leads that allow in-hauling or barber hauling. On a long offshore leg, you can tweak all day long.

While cockpit ergonomics are excellent, says Stewart, and all the winches are well-positioned and easy to work at, the traveler system needs to be rethought. “With the 4-to-1 mainsheet, we couldn’t get the traveler to centerline. Changing it to 2-to-1 might solve that. The winches are plenty strong to allow it.”

The common phrase among the judges was, “There’s a lot going on,” when all the sails are on deck and ready to deploy. “It’ll definitely be a new sort of learning curve for owners in terms of when to use the water ballast and figuring out the sail crossovers. A couple of days of training with a sailmaker, and a good bowman, will be necessary.”

But any good sailor enjoys a good challenge, says Allen, who has sailed the boat in winds far stronger than those experienced during the BOTY test sail. “In 15 to 20 knots, the boat is really fast and stable, with or without the ballast. The rudder never loses its grip. It’s rock-solid in a breeze, a great boat all around.”

At a Glance

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