last notes on sailing the J109

As spotted the rig was in a light airs mode with about 1cm give on the thumb with the V1s and the D2s while the D1s were bang hard.....Norths comfirmed this....bit worrying given the weakness in the mast step / shim design and the 32 knt gusts. But we went fast and medium high and I got a good ab's and shoulder work out I find sore a week later.

Boat seemed to like a lot of trimming rather than steering to feather or press on the jib.

The No.3 was a nice sail, really a number 2 as it has roach and is about 110% ...sheets BETWEEN the D1s and D2/V1 for upwind and 'just cracked' work. In is too hard on the D1- the clew abraids on it too, whilst outside all is bad for sheeting angle.

Gybing was a piece of nonsense- very hard gybe on white sailes which was avoidable if we had gone high and fallen off. Under kite on the next day collapsing and walking the kite round wiht two people is just useless cruising crap. Marine Blast's video shows the way.



Hoisting...sneek the guy always...sweat hoist at mast seems a bit harsh under the Genoa, but with a helper piling flakes under it would work faster than cockpit hoist and free the upper winch and man there.


Monkey balls...need a feeder system for remote hoists for genoa .


Shifts..didn't really seem to be using them but it was a stupid course and light wind. Took our luck ont he great divide and it ran out.


Rules: I checked up to be sure, to be sure and I was right, all bit the bavaria needed to give us water, starboard tack or not...there was no tack needed at the mark, straight gybe mark. The mark was an obstruction.---


trimming...I need to learn more...but otherwise it'd be no fun. JJ Flash seemed to be faster with a nicer main and utilising hte L1 genoa. The upper third of the genoa is crucial in all winds to match the main and power/depower the slot accordingly and should have leech tell tales at 20%, 33% and 40% on the L1. The main tell tales / tufts worked very well.


Manoerves...Torgeir is an excellent totally quality helm, must be dinghy experience and a precise, laid back nature. The manoerves round the marks were a bit tight but paid...we mayeb need to look at windward drops and hoists on the gybe sets.



Tactics...very good from Ole. Good starts , out of trouble in clean air, although we were slow, late and a bit burried day 2. JJFlash ..They carry a lot of crew who kill speed in the manoerves/hoists. Didn't seem very high in the heavy stuff...couldn' climb wihtout losing too much course and speed on us. Seem threatening on the starts but like to go in early and dominate...this can be worked around. X45 learnt the error of her ways in going for a roll over at the CB end....DSQ / RET.

I think we did not cover the fleet or JJ often enough. Not even loose, just ahead or to lee but then again it was a 'sail the outer diamond day' .


Strategy...don't start int he same Lys band as Luringen! thank god the 11mod beat them. We need to sort out who doesn't matter, who to stay clear off and who to sit on top of for each race....i.e. who is big, who is slow, who is cheeky at the start adn who will sit on us if we aren't off the start in our own air. Take clean air and have fun with any other J109s out to play or the 34.7s ..shoudl be interesting in ASY LYS class next year. COnsider an OD certificate and then IMS rating for events where we are in . In a medium breeze I see us beating Luringen but at an even t we would need to take them out on the line a couple of times and sit on them on the beat to let other boats get in their wind and eat, eat , eat into their minutes.