J80 Race Training Series

Description

Following a successful launch year in 2025, our J80 race training course is back and better than ever!

The J/80 Race Training Course teaches race tactics, boat-handling, and team coordination for students who wish to race in Courageous’s fleet of J/80 sailboats. The course includes drills, short course racing, and discussions of rules and tactics. 

The course is ideal for students with some initial experience with performance sailboats, spinnakers, and racing, and who wish to further develop their skills, possibly with an eye to participation in a J/80 racing series or in Boston Harbor club racing aboard Courageous’s J/80s.

Skills and Concepts Covered 

While a three-night course cannot create deep expertise in topic areas that racers spend lifetimes learning to master, students will gain experience with:

• Reading the course and the wind conditions
• Boat handling in close quarters in a competitive fleet
• How the rules shape the tactical landscape
• Getting a great start
• Gaining and defending tactical advantage
• On-board crew coordination and teamwork

Prerequisites

• Yellow flag rating
• Meet the J80 and Perf 1 course completion (or comparable experience) preferred.
• some experience with racing – Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Frostbiting (or comparable)
• Experience with spinnakers is preferred

A student with a yellow flag certification, who has completed  the Performance I and Performance II courses, and who has raced  a few times would be well qualified. Others are encouraged to discuss their potential participation with program staff. 

Course Structure

The course is taught in three sessions, approximately 10 hours of instruction.  Each session:

•  Students meet with instructors/coaches who will describe the session’s objectives and the plan for drills and racing
• The instructors/coaches will assign students to teams
• Students and instructors/coaches will perform on-the-water drills and participate in short course races
• After returning to the dock, instructors/coaches will lead a review of the session and a focused discussion of one rules/tactics topic.

Schedule

Three Tuesday evenings, 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM

• First series: May 19th, May 26th, June 2nd.
• Second series: June 9th, June 23rd, June 30th

Recommended Next Steps (for graduates of this series)

•     Spring and Fall J/80 Racing Series
•     Boston Harbor PHRF racing
•     “Alumni” who have paid for and attended the course, are welcome to participate, space and conditions permitting, in subsequent sessions of the course after their course completes without further cost. Additionally, graduates of the course may participate in Wednesday night drop-in racing without further cost. 

Course Minimum:

This course requires a minimum of at least 5 students to run. In the event that the minimum is not reached our team will reach out with additional options.