J/105 North Americans and the Winning Secrets of Randy Hecht

Want to sail 11 tough races in a big J/105 fleet on the Berkeley Circle in 10 minutes from the comfort of your home or office? Watch Vince Casalaina’s excellent summary video of one of the most competitive regattas on the Bay.

In a tough fleet of 28 boats, Rolex Big Boat Series winner Randy Hecht and his crew aboard Niuhi also won the J/105 North Americans an impressive 33 points ahead of the second-place boat, Blackhawk. San Francisco Yacht Club hosted the regatta on September 26-October 2.

We spoke with Randy at RBBS, and he shared a couple of his winning secrets. One is the credit he gives to Russ Silvestri and the rest of his crew. One of Russ’s prime directives to the crew on board was, “Do your job,” a focus that clearly helps. Another was the TackingMaster he was wearing on his wrist. He credited this year’s ILCA 6 Masters Worlds champion in the Legends division, Chris Boome, for bringing this to his attention. He also mentioned cracking off the jib slightly instead of just ragging the main upwind in a big breeze. Lead aft?

San Francisco Bay is famous for strong, consistent breezes. (Though “consistent” doesn’t mean there isn’t a favored end of the line, and the concept of consistency may lull some into thinking there aren’t too many shifts.) Enjoy the video and take those tips from a winner to the top of your class.