TnT detonates J/105s at Marblehead Regatta 2025
by J/Boats 12 Aug 18:14 UTC
24-27 July 2025
Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Marblehead © Walter Cooper
Marblehead, with its iconic deep harbor and jam-packed mooring field, is as picturesque as a New England coastal town can be: a Shangri-La in the shadow of madcap Boston. And, perched around the harbor are three equally iconic yacht clubs that have been hosting the region's biggest summer sailing celebration for 135 years: Marblehead Race Week.
The rotation of hosting duties between the Boston, Corinthian, and Eastern yacht clubs is a longstanding tradition that ensures the burden is shared among them. This year, competitors of the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series at Marblehead Race Week were hosted by Eastern, the grandiose clubhouse on "the Neck." With a large turnout of sailors, friends, and family expected, Eastern was bustling every evening.
One of the big highlights of the regatta was the huge squall that hit the fleet on the second day. In the chaos of the squall, while wildly exiting the windward mark offset in traffic, Bruce Golison's crew on the J/70 MIDLIFE CRISS collided with another boat and retired from the race with both boats sustaining damage.
Meanwhile, Peter Duncan's J/70 team on RELATIVE OBSCURITY was well ahead of the fray when the worst of it hit and was enjoying a blistering run until they had to drop the spinnaker to lay the mark. RELATIVE OBSCURITY crew member Victor Diaz de Leon later reported that it was the fastest he's ever gone in a J/70, with a 10-second burst of a sustained 21 knots!
J/105 Class
Brad Tindall, helming the Texas-based J/105 TnT (named for co-owners Greg Terman and Tindall), enjoyed a remarkable debut at Marblehead, securing multiple race victories. For Tindall, though not for all of his crew, this was a first-time experience at the Marblehead regatta.
"We had a great day, a really kick-ass start to the first race. We were launched out and just had great separation," Tindall says. His team found themselves in perfect rhythm with the conditions, with boat balance and speed that allowed them to maintain an edge throughout the day.
The second race proved even more satisfying despite a challenging mid-fleet start. "The most gratifying race was the second one," Tindall says. "We didn't have such a great start, but we fought our way up."
He says his crew demonstrated exceptional course awareness and tactical decision-making, consistently finding favorable wind shifts.
"Every time we tacked, we got lifted," marveled his tactician Mark Foster, noting how unusual this consistent good fortune was. "It's usually the other way around."
Accustomed to the more predictable conditions of his home waters in Corpus Christi, Tindall found the day's 60-degree wind shifts initially unnerving, but ultimately manageable thanks to excellent crew coordination.
In the end, the Texas-based team TnT made an impression at Marblehead. Despite the considerable journey from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Marblehead, the team showcased both dedication and skill in every race. Their participation was inspired by the late Mark Massour, who previously owned their boat and frequently participated in East Coast events.
"We brought the boat initially for Block Island [Race Week] last month, and decided to stay here and race in Marblehead," Tindall says. "It was 2,168 miles, and we came up in June." Their commitment was clear not only in their long journey but also in how effectively they adapted to Marblehead's tricky sailing conditions.
The team's tactician, Mark Foster (a J/22 World Champion), emphasized the unique challenges of racing in Marblehead. "It was a typical Marblehead weekend. Lots of things get thrown at you. There's nothing standard around Marblehead," Foster says. However, the team managed to leverage their experience and adapt their tactics accordingly. The absence of strong currents on the J/105 course allowed for a boat speed-focused regatta, which played to their strengths.
Key to their success was the team's ability to adjust their tuning setups swiftly as conditions changed. "The biggest thing was not being afraid to get on those shrouds and get them in tune," Tindall says, highlighting the adjustments that were crucial between races.
Their lack of familiarity with the Marblehead J/105 fleet added an extra layer of complexity to Team TnT's weekend. "Most of the Marblehead people were kinda local, and so they were all a new experience for all of us to sail against," Foster says.
Winning four of seven races in the J/105 fleet not only earned the TnT the class win, but also the regatta's overall title and the coveted berth at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Caribbean Championship in the British Virgin Islands in October, where they will face top teams from the regatta series' other stops in St. Petersburg, Florida, Annapolis, Maryland, Chicago and Detroit.
Aside from Tindla and Foster, their TnT crew consisted of Chris Corley, Angus Roberts, Jose Richline, and Greg Turman.
The balance of the podium included Matt Herbster's NO QUARTER taking the silver medal, while Charlie Garrard's MERLIN team managed to garner the bronze medal.
J/70 Class
For Peter Duncan's team on the J/70 RELATIVE OBSCURITY, the final day was about keeping close tabs on Bruno Pasquinell's STAMPEDE.
"We had to stay close with them," says Jud Smith, the team's ace tactician. "They ended up beating us in the first race, but we were battling it out with them around the course and crossed the finish line overlapped. So, we lost a point to them there, but they were the boat we had to pay attention to."
In the day's first race, positioning at the start proved critical. "They were [committee] boat side, and they got ahead. The right was good on the early part of the beat, and then the left came in at the end, and we're kind of in the middle," Smith says.
Despite not having "a great first run," they made up for it on the second upwind leg. "We had a really good second beat. We got going good and went the right way. A lot of boats went the wrong way—and that got us right back into it."
For Smith, one of the most significant developments in his team's performance has been their improved mental approach to the J/70 class's high-intensity racing. Racing this weekend was the usual squad of Duncan, Smith, Willem Van Waay, and Victor Diaz de Leon.
"The good thing is when it gets bad, we don't get rattled as a team," Smith says. "We got caught in the first race with the rig too tight and stuff like that, but we just deal with it, and keep the racing close."
This calm approach to adversity paid dividends in the final race. "We got behind a little bit, but we came out of the second beat knowing just what we wanted to do, stuck with it and kept with that, and that was good."
The talented crew's mutual trust proved to be their greatest asset, Smith adds. "I think the big thing we've probably gotten better at is just keeping our head together and trusting each other," he says. "Everybody's so talented on the team that we just trust each other. That's been good."
Behind the winning team, the balance of the podium included Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE in second and Bruce Golison's MIDLIFE CRISIS in third place.
The balance of the top five in this talented class included past winner Brian Keane's SAVASANA in fourth, and Alec Cutler's HEDGEHOG in fifth place.
For more Helly Hansen Sailing World Marblehead Regatta sailing information: sailingworld.com/regatta-series-marblehead