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Andrew Algeo's New J99 Juggerknot II in Action at Spi-Ouest Regatta

16th April 2019
The J99 is a brand new design from J-Boats The J99 is a brand new design from J-Boats Credit: J boats

J109 National Champion Andrew Algeo of the Royal Irish Yacht Club will have his first regatta in his new J99, Juggerknot II (IRL3990) at Spi Ouest Regatta, this Friday, and it looks like the fleet of 436 boats gathering at La Trinite Sur Mer, will be the biggest in six years.

A very interesting class IRC B line up means the Irish boat will meet stiff competition from the get-go. Afloat reported on the arrival of the new J99 into Dublin in January.

A J99 sistership will be also competing in La Trinite. Called J Lance 14 she is sailed by French pro–sailor Didier Le Moal, so there's going to be plenty of pacing opportunities for the new Irish marque that has a summer of Irish-based regattas awaiting her.  

Here is the full class line up at Spi-Ouest with boat types and TCCs also listed: 

IRC B - Spi Ouest

 ID.   Bateau Voile Skipper Club Bateau TCC
124   AD HOC FRA44058 Jf. Cheriaux C N LORIENT JPK 10.10 1.0010
211   ANAVEL FRA43914 H. Cardon Y C CARNAC JPK 10.10 1.0050
127   APLYSIA 3 43918 C. Faure   SUN FAST 3200 1.0000
146   CAVOK FRA53119 P. Gach Y C CROUESTY ARZON POGO 30 1.0450
149   CLIFDEN FRA44059 F. Jooris Y C TRINITE SUN FAST 3200 0.9950
199   CRESCENDO FRA39098 P. Sauzieres S N TRINITE S/MER JPK 10.10 1.0000
284   DELNIC FRA9210 B. Rousselin S N TRINITE S/MER JPK 10.10 1.0040
221   EDM SERVICE FRA39201 B. Daniels S R ROCHELAISES SUN FAST 3200 0.9940
355   ENEDIS FRA44737 J. Rigalleau SNSablais SUN FAST 3200 1.0000
332   EXETERA FRA21859 A. Rougeulle S N TRINITE S/MER X 36S 0.9990
181   FOGGY DEW FRA37310 N. Racine S N P H jpk 10.10 0.9990
135   HAKUNA MATATA 35914 Jf. Nouel C N PORNIC SUN FAST 3200 1.0000
158   HEY JUDE FRA9624 P. Girardin S N TRINITE S/MER J 120 1.0400
192   IOALLA FRA1382 G. Prietz/Y. Le Trequesser S N TRINITE S/MER X 382 1.0140
394   J LANCE 14 FRA53145 D. Le Moal S R ROCHELAISES J 99 2.0000
171   JACKPOT 9679 H. Mehu S N TRINITE S/MER J 109 1.0040
136   JIBOULIX 25577 Jb. Prot S N TRINITE S/MER X362S 1.0060
137   JUGGERKNOT 2 IRL3990 A. Algeo   J 99 1.0170
410   LEMANCELLO FRA43904 Fx. Mahon C N FERRET SUN FAST 3200 0.9930
138   LINGOBJECTS FRA9804 B. Le Marec S R ROCHELAISES OFCET 32 1.0120
139   MUSIX FRA43893 P. Baetz S N TRINITE S/MER J 122E 1.0430
183   PEN KOENT FRA53160 E. Le Men Y C VAL ANDRE FIRST 40.7 1.0410
141   RACING BEE 2 FRA43933 Lm. Dussere   JPK 10.80 1.0420
314   REALAX FRA21706 Jy. Le Goff S N TRINITE S/MER A 35 1.0210
421   TIGER 5 3303 M.Menesguen   MMW33 1.0070
125   TIP FRA39430 G. Pages YC LA GRANDE MOTTE SUN FAST 3600 1.0520
151   VALORIS&BENEFITS FRA43673 J. Bouic S R ROCHELAISES A 35


Didier's previous very successful boat was another J Lance, a J112e which won both the IRC Europeans and IRC Worlds last year. 

Other interesting boats in the class will be a J112e, Musik, a very well sailed Beneteau 40.7 Pen Koent, a number of A35s, a number of JPK 10.10s, Jpk 10.80s and Jeanneau sunfast 3200s.  These three last designs will perform well if the conditions turn out strong, but will not be great if conditions are light and the long range forecast looks light.

Algeo previewed his new J99 for Afloat in January here and he gave one of the reasons for downsizing to the newer but smaller J model as local crew availability. 

On board for Algeo's maiden sail in France as part of the Irish crew is North Sails Ireland's, Nigel Young.

The J99 type has been sailed recently under IRC at the Warsash Spring series and so far the IRC optimised J109s are still holding sway. Unfortunately, there won’t be many tricked up J109s at Spi Ouest to see how they go. Unlike the Warsash J99, both J99s that will be sailing in La Trinite will be using Symmetric Configurations (with spinnaker poles) as against the sprit asymmetric configuration of the Warsash J99.

From a Dublin Bay and also a national perspective, it will be interesting to see how she goes.

Symmetric v Asymmetric Spinnakers

Another J109 in Ireland, the new Outrageous of Richard Colwell and John Murphy launches this week complete with a symmetric configuration, with the ability to change to asymmetric, if she wishes. Pat Kelly's J109 Celtic Cup champion Storm changed over to symmetric in 2017 too with well-documented success in the Scottish Series. The all-conquering J112e, J Lance, mentioned above, is also a symmetric setup.  

Storm Symmetric(Above) Howth J109 Storm sailing to success in the 2017 Scottish Series with an 'experimental' symmetric kite Photo: Mark Turner and (below) Storm using an asymmetric at last year's Irish Nationals on home waters Photo: Afloat.ie

Storm Assymetic 2782

Generally, it is thought that windward leeward events, especially in medium to strong winds suit boats with poles, whereas offshore likely would suit sprit boats.

Afloat.ie Team

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The Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) Information

The creation of the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) began in a very low key way in the autumn of 2002 with an exploratory meeting between Denis Kiely, Jim Donegan and Fintan Cairns in the Granville Hotel in Waterford, and the first conference was held in February 2003 in Kilkenny.

While numbers of cruiser-racers were large, their specific locations were widespread, but there was simply no denying the numerical strength and majority power of the Cork-Dublin axis. To get what was then a very novel concept up and running, this strength of numbers had to be acknowledged, and the first National Championship in 2003 reflected this, as it was staged in Howth.

ICRA was run by a dedicated group of volunteers each of whom brought their special talents to the organisation. Jim Donegan, the elder statesman, was so much more interested in the wellbeing of the new organisation than in personal advancement that he insisted on Fintan Cairns being the first Commodore, while the distinguished Cork sailor was more than content to be Vice Commodore.

ICRA National Championships

Initially, the highlight of the ICRA season was the National Championship, which is essentially self-limiting, as it is restricted to boats which have or would be eligible for an IRC Rating. Boats not actually rated but eligible were catered for by ICRA’s ace number-cruncher Denis Kiely, who took Ireland’s long-established native rating system ECHO to new heights, thereby providing for extra entries which brought fleet numbers at most annual national championships to comfortably above the hundred mark, particularly at the height of the boom years. 

ICRA Boat of the Year (Winners 2004-2019)