Be safe, have fun, go fast

Roles and Responsibilities of the Crew on a J/30 Racing Sailboat

Foreword

I’ve been crewing on a fast racing sailboat, a J/30 named Black Magic, for a couple of years. Although I had previous experience sailing my own boat, a few rentals, and trips as invited guest racing and cruising, this is my first real experience with racing.

One of the things I’ve noticed is that as a newcomer to the boat it’s almost impossible to “see” what is actually going on. People are moving about, hauling on lines, and in the worst circumstances shouting at each other.  Somehow the jobs get done. Sometimes it’s ugly. Ugly is slow. I know we’d be having more fun if we knew what we were doing.

So that’s what this guide is all about. I’ve watched, listened and participated to the best of my ability. Now I’ve broken the work down into its fundamental tasks and organized the tasks by roles and maneuvers.

The Boat

The J/30 is the second in the line of J-Boats designed by Rod Johnstone and built by Tillotson-Pearson in Rhode Island between 1979 and 1986. The J/30 is a one-design class, created for recreational sailors involved in cruising, one-design racing, daysailing, handicap and offshore racing. With a thirty foot overall length, fractional rig and a mast extending forty-six feet above the water, the J/30 sails with main and jib or spinnaker. Hull speed tops out at 8.22 knots. The sails include a 155% genoa, a 105% blade and colorful spinnakers made of 0.5 ounce nylon for light air and .75 ounce nylon for heavier air.  Black Magic bears hull number 428 of the approximately 575 built and a PHRF rating of 138.

The J/30 continues to be one of the largest and most active one-design classes over 24 feet in the world. The Chesapeake Bay boasts the largest fleet, of about 40 boats. Other fleets are active in Long Island Sound, Naragansett Bay, Maine, and Chicago. The Gulf Coast fleet out of New Orleans lists 25 boats.  Seven New Orleans area J/30’s including Black Magic, Cuba Libre, Jalapeño, Jackpot, Gritz, Halfaglass and the reigning national champion Zephyr are all regulars in Lake Ponchartrain racing.

That lineup was active in 2001. In 2007 the fleet has changed. Black Magic has been to Annapolis and is returning this year. Zephyr sank in Hurricane Katrina and is being refurbished by a new owner. The old crew has moved on to different type of boat. Jalapeño and Jackpot are still active. I don't know the whereabouts of Gritz, Halfaglass and Cuba Libre. Rambunctious, Hot Chocolate and Toy Box are now playing on our lake.

The Crew

The crew is made up of eight sailors. Their combined weight may not exceed 1400 pounds. That’s a 175 pound average so you can’t stack too many 300 pounders in a crew. Weight is important as the boat is very sensitive to the wind and hard to keep flat in winds over 15 knots. When the crew contains fewer than eight, jobs are combined. In one design racing the owner must be the helmsman.

The Roles

1. Helmsman – the owner and skipper, one design rules say the owner must drive
   
2. Tactician  - an old salt
3. Pit – a real team player as we’ll see below
4. Main trim – assistant driver, crucial in a blow
5. Jib trim - grinder, massive shoulders and forearms help
   
6. Jib fine trim – experienced foresail trimmer
7. Mast – halyard jumper who can keep an eye on the foredeck
   
8. Foredeck – the athletic type, knows the “ropes”

 

The Maneuvers