San Juan Fleet 8
The San Juan 21 is a classic trailerable cruising/racing sailboat made by the Clark Boat Company from 1969 until 1985. Approximately 2600 were built. The SJ21 is a easy handling sailboat that is very comfortable to learn on. She's a decent all-around performer and with the centerboard up can be pulled right onto a sandy beach. As club racers SJ21's are reasonably fast. In weekend "beer can races" the owner of a well sailed San Juan 21 is likely to beat everything else in the club its size except another SJ21, or purpose-built racers like the Mirage 5.5 or J/22. Catalina 22's, Hunter 23's, the new water-ballasted Hunters, Precision 23's, etc. all are slower.
But while its true what they say that any time you get two sailboats together you have a race, there's nothing like organized one-design competition - that's why Fleet 8 was created.
Soon after Bob and Coral Clark, builders of the San Juan started up an east coast facility here in New Bern in the early seventies, San Juan 21's started showing up on the Neuse River and Pamlico Sound. New Bern's Fleet 8 was formed March 03, 1973. In that year, Fleet 8 went to Hampton, Virginia for the first of what were called the East Coast Nationals. New Bern had the largest number of boats represented from any fleet, and three trophies were brought home by the winners. 1973 was a busy year because New Bern was chosen as the site for the second East Coast Nationals and a total of 35 boats, from New York to Florida, participated. The San Juan fleet is the largest one-design at Blackbeard Sailing Club and our series races are always well attended starting in 1974 when 59 boats participated.
While the boat is no longer being mass produced, the fleet is still quite active, with regularly scheduled races, get-togethers, lots of web pages like this one, and all that jazz. San Juan Fleet 8 continues to promote an emphasis on sailing skills, reading the wind and weather and tactics as the key to true one-design enjoyment as opposed to the bleeding edge technology and big bucks that some other classes obsess over.
Down here in New Bern NC, we have the Fred Latham Regatta every New Year's day. last year there were 16 SJ21's, a hot dog lunch, three good races in the mid 40's with 6-10 kts of wind and a sunny day. This was the 30th year in a row that Fred has gone sailing on New Year's Day in "Mad Momma". Fred has now sailed every New Years Day for THIRTY years AND at least one day every month of every year for the same thirty years. He says "What you do on New Year's is what you do all year" so we race. If there's a god who adds time to our lives for the time spent sailing, Fred will live forever....
Picture this typical class event:
You pack the car/truck on Monday. Tuesday you point yourself toward North Carolina and drive about 8 to 10 hours. (nothing good comes easy) Wednesday you pull into Blackbeard Sailing Club and pick your camp site. The locals are there to offer a hand and a cold one. Thursday you weigh the boat and find out its lighter than you thought. The sails measure in at just the correct size. Some of the other sailors' sails aren't as new as yours. You go out on Upper Broad Creek and run a few test starts. Upwind speed feels good. Friday the winds blowing 15 kts steady out of the south. When the days results are posted you're 3pts out of first. Friday night its pizza, beer and lies for dinner. Saturday the breeze is 8-10 from the north. You get in one race in the am, break for lunch on shore and when the sea breeze comes in its back to racing. Saturday night is a feast of eastern North Carolina BBQ, hush puppies, slaw, and chicken. Real downeast home cooking! Then its time for a few more stories of glory. Sunday the trips a little easier with that hardware in the front seat. Hey ya'll this isn't a dream. When San Juan 21's race at Blackbeard you can count on about fifteen boats in spinnaker and fifteen boats non-spinnaker here!!!
Great facilities, good food, cold drinks, and hot boats for cheap! Come on down.
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