J-109 Just So scoops the JOG Inshore and Offshore Championship
by David McGough 15 Oct 2019 16:09 UTC
J-109 Just So scoops the JOG Inshore and Offshore Championship © Rick Tomlinson /
www.rick-tomlinson.com
J109 Just So, with a full Elvstrom Sails inventory, won her class in both the 2019 JOG (Junior Offshore Group) Inshore and JOG Offshore championships, held in a range of conditions from near calm to gale force winds.
Both series were closely fought epics, with everything to count on the last day of racing. The battle for both events was in held in big winds. The last Offshore series race was a downwind roaring ride in 26 knots, with wind against tide and big seas off off the St Albans Head tidal race. Just So saw 15.5 knots with the spinnaker up, with only four on board to manage her instead of her normal crew of eight.
The Inshore series finals touched even stronger conditions gusting up to 35 knots. Just So won both final races and secured an outright win for both Championships.
Speaking about their success owner David McGough commented, "All season Just So went well upwind with the new J-109 jib design and her new mainsail. The new jib was brilliant across the wind range and easily adjustable. We always work hard on changing gears, however we found our new light to medium jib is good in the light airs and built to cope with transient higher winds. So we did not have to change jib nearly so often."
The Offshore Championship consisted of a series of cross channel races to Cherbourg, St Peterport, St Malo, Alderney and a redirected race to Weymouth owing to severe wind conditions. The Inshore Series included shorter races from Cowes to Poole, Yarmouth and Weymouth.