[24 AUG 2008] 10 races, 5 bullets, two 2nds, two 3rds, and a 7th makes a North American champion. Scott Sellers, Rolf Kaiser, Eric Ryan, Geoff McDonald, Cam Geer and Ted Conrads annihilated the rest of the fleet by eeking out a 23 point lead over Good Timin (Dave Wilson/Chris Perkins) with 45 points. Ever competitive Aquavit (Tim Russell) finished in third on 51 points followed by Blackhawk (Scooter Simmons). Rhymenocerous (John Horsch) survived a last minute protest to finish in 5th. Sunday on San Francisco Bay delivered a glorious day with the race committee setting up off the west face of Alcatraz opening up a wide course for competitive city front racing. All 36 competitors enjoyed a final day of tight competitive racing that is the epitome of the J-105 fleet. The St. Francis Yacht Club and San Francisco Bay delivered a memorable 4 days and 10 tough races that all competitors, no matter what their final position, found to be an exhilarating event. The fleet looks forward to the 2009 North American Championship to be held October 29-November 1 at the American Yacht Club in Rye, NY. We trust the national Executive Committee will implement a traveling sails rule that will encourage a truly national fleet.   -- Stuart Taylor [23 AUG 2008] A picture postcard perfect day on San Francisco Bay was the start to Day 3 for the 2008 J-105 North American Championship. Three races on the Berkeley Circle, run flawlessly by the race committee, resulted in Donkey Jack (Scott Sellers) leading around every mark of the course for three bullets for the day giving Donkey Jack a 21 point lead for the series over Good Timin (Dave Wilson/Chris Perkins) on 40 points, closely followed by Aquavit (Tim Russell) on 41 points in third. Unlike Day 2, the breeze was relatively stable from 230 degrees. Early in the day, competitors saw 12-15 knots building by Race 3 to a steady 18-24 knots. The stronger pressure made for a good test of boat handling, providing many opportunities to win or lose on the course. Sunday's forecast of southwesterly winds building to 25 knots in the afternoon should make for an exciting final 2 races of the series.   -- Stuart Taylor [22 AUG 2008] J/105 bowman, Les Yamamoto, launched from Don Wieneke's Lulu captured on video by regatta videographer Vince Casalaina. (Click here to view.) [22 AUG 2008] Day 2 consisted of 3 races under uncharacteristically puffy conditions on the city front of San Francisco Bay. In a building flood tide, despite several general recalls and "I" flags, the race committee managed to get off three races. The winds were as predicted at 12-20 knots with the shifty breeze making racing tough short tacking the city front and creating quite a show for spectators on the shore. Race 1 was won by Donkey Jack (Scott Sellers), second place was taken by Convexity from Chicago (Donald Wilson) continuing their first place win from the second race of Day 1; third place taken by [un]Natural Blonde (Rob Cooper). Race 2 was won by local favorite Good Timin (Dave Wilson/Chris Perkins), second place was Donkey Jack and third was Blackhawk (Scooter Simmons. In the final third race today, Aquavit (Tim Russell) took first place, Rhymenocerous (John Horsch) second place and Jam Session (Adam Spiegel) finished third. Competitors look forward to a full day of racing back on the Berkeley Circle tomorrow for another three races. The St. Francis Yacht Club race committee boat will recover from the missing flag staff and ensign that an unnamed competitor managed to dislodge from the stern of the W.L. Stewart during close maneuvers!   -- Stuart Taylor [21 AUG 2008] The 2008 North American Championship Day 1 started out with a famous San Francisco pea soup fog with visibility less than 1/4 mile. The first challenge for competitors was findig their way to the race course and finding the race committee boat on the Berkeley Circle. After an hour and twenty mninute postponement, the fog lifted to reveal a glorious San Francisco Bay day. The delay made the 36 competitors eager to get racing underway resulting in two general recalls, but the subsequent "I" flag did the trick and Race 1 was underway. Even with a two mile leg, the top twenty boats converged on the windward mark simultaneously. This congestion was repeated again at the leeward gates and again at each mark rounding. While there was much shouting, few protests were filed. Race 1 was won by Blackhawk (Scooter Simmons) with Brickhouse (Kristen Lane) in second and Donkey Jack (Scott Sellers) in third. Race 2 followed immediately and was won by Convexity (Donald Wilson), with Aquavit (Tim Russell) in second and Donkey Jack in third. Both races were sailed in perfect conditions. Breezes fluctuated from 14-20 knots out of the southwest with a few large wind shifts keeping tacticians and the race committee on their toes.   -- Stuart Taylor