March 23, 2004àNewport, RIà.With nearly 180 boats built and and 8 fleets formed in three countries, class racing is now a reality for this recently introduced 35Æ racer-cruiser from J Boats. Sixteen owners from five different fleets attended the first J/109 class meeting held in conjunction with the annual J Boats Mid-Winter Rendezvous on March 13th in Warren, RI. Here are the highlights from the meeting:
Getting the Class Started
The owners agreed to launch a class website to facilitate owner-to-owner communication and to help promote class activities. The class site will include a list of fleet contacts, class rules and interpretations, tuning guides, newsworthy articles, and an interactive schedule. Owners will also have password access to a members-only site which will include an owner roster, discussion forum, technical manuals and bulletins. Kendra Muenter of J Boats will be serving as J/109 class and web contact. Target web launch date for www.j109.org is May 1st.
Local Fleet Development
It was noted that the key to class success is gathering owners together on a local basis, even if for only a few events per season. Fleet captains were charged with organizing a spring meeting with fellow owners in their areas to seek common ground on fleet goals for the year and to target a few events for season, either racing or cruising. Fleets were strongly urged to follow the J/109 Class Rules as currently posted at www.jboats.com except as needed locally to help build participation.
