IRC YEARBOOK 2010
Christie Cancer Care
J 109
Production bowsprit cruiser/
racer one-design
2009 RESULTS
1st Overall Brewin Dolphin Scottish Series
A-sails or symmetrical kites? This is one of the
fundamental decisions that many will face when
considering a new boat for IRC racing, especially in
the 40ft size range where cruiser/racers are less
likely to plane.
With a similar displacement/length ratio to the
Bénéteau First 40.7, the J 109 is a good example of
the alternative choice to the benchmark Bénéteau
(see opposite). With 149 IRC ratings passing
through the Rating Office’s books, the J boat is
clearly a popular choice.
In the 2009 season Nigel Biggs’s Christie Cancer
Care demonstrated how the J 109 could be
successful in both IRC and class racing, posting an
overall win at both the Scottish Series and the J/109
class championships in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland.
“Before we bought the boat we did some research
and discovered that the large overlapping headsail
that is required for class racing overpowers the boat
quite early upwind,” explained Nigel Biggs. “We built
a non-overlapping headsail for IRC racing, which does
reduce the rating slightly, but more importantly
provides us with a greater range of performance with
just one sail.
“As well as being more versatile through the wind
range, we can use a barber hauler on the sheet to allow
us to squeeze up or foot off, something that’s not
possible with the large overlapping headsail that’s
used for class racing.”
KEY POINTS
■ Keel – low VCG lead keel
■ Alloy mast
■ Rod rigging
■ Feathering two-bladed prop
■ 105% overlap headsail
■ Asymmetric spinnaker and retractable bowsprit
■ Crew No: 8
■ IRC Rating range for J109s typically 1.007 to 1.054
■ Headsails must be set on furling units for class
racing and the No1 genoa is 145% overlap.
■ For IRC racing the furling drum is removed to allow a
105% overlapping headsail to be set. This and
the use of barber haulers allows the boat to be set up
for several different upwind modes.
■ Retractable bowsprit makes for easy spinnaker
handling, especially through gybes. The downside
comes when forced to run deep against boats with
conventional spinnakers where the pole can be
squared back.
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