By William L Huffman Key West Race Week of the Sailing Inc J/70, Spaceman Spiff. On the boat is Ryan Ruhlman, Matt Schon, and Travis Odenbach
In the second part of my article on the J70’s rise in Cleveland, I conclude my conversation with Nick Turney, Manager of North Sails in Cleveland, along with two new owners here in Cleveland. JB Walsh and Greg Mylett, two of the newest members of the fleet, explain what made the J70 so appealing, as well as expound on what kind of learning curve they expect to face this summer.
The constant thing I hear when discussing the J70, is the potential for consistent one-design racing.
Nick Turney knows the expectations are high for the J70 class, before we wrapped up our interview he added, “The local fleet in Cleveland will continue to grow, I forecast about 20 boats locally before this time next year. It’s a great boat, the price point is there, and with a great one design schedule locally and nationally, why wouldn’t you want to join in on the fun! The J70 class will become an international class ISAF class this year, and will have world events which will only grow the class more. Its exciting to be involved in the class.”
I wanted to hear from some of the guys who have already invested in the class to find out how they learned about the boat, what appealed to them, and what their expectations were for the future of the J70 in Cleveland.
JB Walsh, a constant presence in the Cleveland sailing scene for over 15 years, recently downsized from his Beneteau 36.7 to the J70. I caught up with JB the other day and here is what he had to say about his experience with the boat.
Cleveland Sailing: What made you want to downsize from the Beneteau 36.7 to the J70? Key West Race Week of the Sailing Inc J/70, Spaceman Spiff. On the boat is Ryan Ruhlman, Matt Schon, and Travis Odenbach
JB Walsh: There were several reasons for downsizing to the J70; cost of ownership, crew size, one-design, dry sail ability, fun, and most of all for me…”change”. One-design racing is the best (few can argue). I learned this more and more when we were able to race one-design on the Beneteau 36.7. Outside of my youth years, I have spent most of my life racing PHRF. PHRF is a lot of fun, but it is far from “PHRF-ect”. One of the final reasons that I pulled the trigger on the J70, was that it also has a PHRF rating. This allows me the flexibility to race when one-design is not available. Especially, at CYC where I love to race the most.
The J70 has a preliminary PHRF rating of 111 but they have yet to make it official due to some protests.
CS: Did the crew size play a role in making the switch?
JB:</strong> Yes, this played a very large role but it also made my decision even more difficult. I have been racing “big boats” for over 25 years. I have been trying to recruit crew for the 15+ years that I have owned a “big boat”. It can be very challenging. The most important part of sailboat racing is boat handling and surrounding yourself with the best crew. I have always emphasized on my boats that safety and fun take precedence of winning. Winning did not come every week, but I am proud to say that I have been able to sail with some of the best sailors that are also my best friends. This is why the decision was very tough…I cannot sail with all my crew every week now.
CS: Have you had an opportunity to sail the J70? If so, where did you get the chance to test it out?
JB: I tested the J70 this past fall after the season was over. I had been researching the boat (and other boats) for several months prior to the sea trial. The breeze was about 15 knots out of the ENE (a great day to be on the water in any sailboat…just about perfect). We starting sailing inside the east lighthouse break wall, so the chop was minimal. The chop built as we exited the protection of the wall. Sailing upwind was tender. The boat responds to every subtle change. Over-steering in waves is not just allowed…it is a must. Even if the boat stalled on a missed timed wave by yours truly, the boat would quickly accelerate and we were off and flying again. I was surprised how well the boat handled. It was stiff and strong like a “big boat” and yet very tender and responsive like a small boat. We were out with the local dealer (Nick Turney), and I asked if we could set the kite and head downwind. He said we had to wait a little longer because “we will run out of room, and we will be back where we started very quickly”. He was not exaggerating. As we worked our way onto the lake, we then turned down wind and set the kite. Boo! Without the aid of instruments, I cannot say for sure but I do not believe that I have ever gone that fast on a sailboat in my life (we were able to reach 15+ kts on the Beneteau in 30 knots of breeze during the Foster Cup that year). When the boat got on a plane, it took off like a rocket ship. When the sea trial was over, I asked my crew what they thought. Without saying a word, they both looked at me with 2 of the biggest smiles and wide eyes that I have ever seen on their faces. I placed my order for the boat the next day.
CS: Are you hoping that more people in Cleveland get a J70 so you can have a one-design class?
JB: Yes, I very much hope more people buy the J70. However, we already have one-design in the area. There are 7 boats at Edgewater Yacht Club, 2 boats at CYC, and 2 boats at Sailing Inc./Lakeside. 11 boats in the first year before the season begins is a very good start. My hope is that more people at CYC buy the boat and join the class. I have already spoke to several people over the past few months and many more are interested. There is no reason that CYC cannot match the number of boats that are racing at EYC. The class will be participating at many of the local regattas, some “travel regattas” (starting with Charleston Race Week and Annapolis NOOD), and there will be 2 races at CYC and 2 races at EYC of combined fleets this summer (similar to the T10s now).
CS: What are your expectations for the summer of 2013?
JB: My expectation is similar to most summers. I want to get out on the water as much as possible. I am very excited to get out on the new boat even more than normal. This summer will be spent learning the boat and adjusting to a different “brand” of sailing that I have a come accustomed to over the years. Small boat sailing is new to me. Asymmetrical downwind sailing is new to me. Sport boat sailing is new to me. Dry sailing is new to me. However, change is good and I cannot wait embrace it this summer.
CS: How many J70 boats are expected to race on Lake Erie? Key West Race Week of the Sailing Inc J/70, Spaceman Spiff. On the boat is Ryan Ruhlman, Matt Schon, and Travis Odenbach
JB: Eleven boats and counting locally. Last I heard there are approximately 8 boats on the eastern part of the lake (Erie, Buffalo, Youngstown, and Rochester area). The Great Lakes Championship will be held in Buffalo this August. There are at least 8 boats in Chicago as well. If and when the Great Lakes come to Cleveland…there could be a VERY large fleet. The North American Championship is in Annapolis in September. The organizing authority is preparing for approximately 90 boats.
After I heard from JB Walsh, I touched base with Greg Mylett who is also transitioning into the J70. Both of new J70 owners have really high hopes for the fleet’s one-design potential.
Cleveland Sailing: You used to skipper a Benitau 36.7, what made the J70 so attractive?
GM: I have always preferred One Design versus PHRF. I sailed Snipes for 6 years racing both locally and travel. I purchased the Beneteau 36.7 to race one-design but we needed to travel to regattas to participate. CYC was PHRF, but still fun. I then purchased a J22 in hopes that the fleet would grow at CYC so that I could race at our club one-design but that fizzled as well after the first year.
I wanted to get another one-design boat and the J70 fleet seems to be growing very fast. It has only been around about a year and we will have over 50 boats in Charleston, South Carolina in a couple weeks.
EYC already has 7 J70’s. Hopefully it grows at CYC so we can do both local one-design at CYC and at regattas. Basically I downsized because of the potential for one-design racing. I would have preferred something a bit bigger, but I am happy with the purchase.
Key West Race Week of the Sailing Inc J/70, Spaceman Spiff. On the boat is Ryan Ruhlman, Matt Schon, and Travis Odenbach
CS: Did the crew size play any role in making the switch?
GM: Crew size did not make play a major role in the decision. I would have gone up to 5 or 6 for total crew.
CS: Have you had an opportunity to sail the J70? If so, where did you get the chance to test it out?
GM: I haven’t sailed on one yet. I just saw mine the other week and my first time sailing the J70 will be at the regatta in South Carolina. None of us have even sailed a boat with a bow sprit or an A symmetrical chute.
CS:: What are your expectations for 2013?
GM: We plan on attending 6-7 regattas and a race with EYC and determined dates.
There is a lot of enthusiasm for the J70’s potential here in Cleveland and around the world. If the fleet continues to grow at its current pace, Nick Turney’s estimate for 20 boats by 2014 should be right on.
As the fleet grows around the country, the winter regattas in Key West, Miami, and Charleston should expect the number of J70’s to increase exponentially in the coming years due to the boat’s simple transportability.
Again, if you are interested about the J70 you can contact Sailing Inc., 216-361-7245, who is the J boat dealer for the Midwest.
Click HERE for part one of my J70 Q & A.
By William L Huffman
Cleveland Sailing: It's a Way of Life! 
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