NSGCYR: Rise of the J/99

Home 2025 NSGCYR: Rise of the J/99

When the fleet of 65 yachts set off for the Gold Coast in the 2025 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast (NSGCYR) on 26 July, there will be a race within a race taking place. Of the 14 Double Handed yachts entered in the 384 nautical mile race, one yacht design will be out in force – J/99s, of which six are entered in the Double Handed Division.

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15 July 2025 at 11:00 am

These are Balancing Act (Tony Craner and Rick Plain), Blue Planet (Chris O’Neill and Jason Keg), Jupiter (Ian Smith and John Cross), Rum Rebellion (Shane Connelly and Tony Sutton), The Gaffer (Rob Frayne and Richard Dumas) and Verite (Paul Beath and Stephen Prince).

NSGCYR Media chatted to four J/99 competitors – Rob Frayne, Ian Smith, Tony Craner and Shane Connelly.

“Quietly confident” on board The Gaffer

As the Cabbage Tree Island Race fleet worked its way out of Sydney Harbour in December 2024, one yacht caused the commentators to scratch their heads – it wasn’t on the competitor list.

The mystery yacht The Gaffer wasn’t eligible to enter as it hadn’t done a qualifying passage. But co-skippers Rob Frayne and Richard Dumas were determined to get some on-water time on board the four-month-old yacht.

The Gaffer shadowed the fleet in the 2024 Cabbage Tree Island Race. Image: CYCA | Andrea Francolini

Although they didn’t sail through the start or finish lines, they shadowed the fleet for most of the race. The Gaffer was the first J/99 to Cabbage Tree Island – not too shabby for Frayne and Dumas’ first ‘unofficial’ double handed offshore race.

Mille Sabords racing in the RSHYR.

Their first successful foray into the world of double handed offshore racing gave them the confidence to tackle the 2025/26 offshore sailing season. They plan to compete in every Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore race, including the highly anticipated 80^th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Frayne and Dumas both competed in the 2019 edition of the iconic race on board Frayne’s former yacht – the Sydney 38 Mille Sabords.

“We’re quietly confident [about the upcoming season],” Frayne said. “We’ve just got to put the package together now.

“I suppose that’s why we’re excited about this race [NSGCYR] to try and build on that experience in time for the Hobart.”

Jupiter spins into a busy season

Earlier this year, Ian Smith put his J/99 Jupiter on the market, with the intention of focusing on other endeavours outside of sailing.

“But the lure of offshore [sailing] grabbed me, so I’m back and will do everything [all the upcoming offshore races],” Smith said. “I like offshore racing. It’s extremely uncomfortable but when you get to the other end, it’s so rewarding.”

Jupiter competing in a CYCA race.

Smith’s offshore experience was limited before he discovered the joy of double handed sailing less than two years ago. Fast-forward to the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart where he and professional sailor Lincoln Dews placed third on Double Handed IRC.

“I’d never done any serious ocean racing, I pretty much started from scratch,” Smith said. “I never owned a boat and built up to getting on the podium at Hobart last year.”

Transcendence Rudy Project at the start of the 2024 RSHYR. Image: Salty Dingo

Smith has teamed up with John Cross for the 2025 NSGCYR. Cross usually sails with his father Martin on board the Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 Transcendence Rudy Project. The yacht was dismasted in the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart and is still undergoing repairs.

Smith is interested to see how Jupiter performs in this one-design sail-off.

“Obviously, we enjoy the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race. But within that we’ll be seeing how the J/99s are doing against each other,” Smith said. “We’ll be watching each other like hawks, I’m sure.

“It’ll be open slather, really.”

Smith is excited to be in the race alongside Queensland entry Balancing Act, which has achieved many accolades in its three-year racing career.

“They’re [Balancing Act] not coming down to Sydney not to do particularly well,” Smith said.

The Toucan competing in the 2024 Cabbage Tree Island Race. Image: CYCA | Andrea Francolini

Smith hopes for direct upwind and downwind conditions to give Jupiter the upper hand over the other competitors, including front runners – the JPK 10.30 Min River and Sun Fast 3300 Toucan.

Min River placed second on Double Handed IRC in the 2024 NSGCYR. Image: Salty Dingo

“The JPKs are just going to take off as soon as there’s any smell of a reach,” Smith said.

Smith is bubbling with anticipation for the race north.

“It’s a major race to compete in,” Smith said. “It has a lot of good boats and great crews, professional crews, mixed professional amateurs, and then amateur crews. It covers a broad spectrum.”

Ian Smith and Lincoln Dews at the 2024 RSHYR Prizegiving ceremony. Image: ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi

Is Balancing Act the J/99 to beat?

After achieving success in several Queensland-based races, Tony Craner is bringing his J/99 Balancing Act to Sydney for the NSGCYR.

Balancing Act won the 2023 and 2024 RQYS Brisbane to Keppel Yacht Races in the Double Handed Division and won Overall in 2024. The three-year-old yacht also won its division in the 2023 and 2024 Gladstone Ports Corporation Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race (as a fully crewed yacht).

On board Balancing Act. Image: Balancing Act

Craner will compete in the 2025 NSGCYR with Rick Plain.

“We are hoping to build on what we were able to do up here in Queensland previously,” Craner said. “There’s a core of J/99s in Sydney, and they lift the game because they are racing against each other all the time. So, I want to go down and race against them.”

As for the yacht, Craner said he is yet to find any issues.

“The boat’s a good all-rounder,” Craner said. “That’s particularly why I went for the J/99. They go good to windward and have good speed downhill. There are areas that other boats might have some comparative speed, but all-round the boat is very hard to beat.”

Balancing Act is entered in the Double Handed Division in the upcoming NSGCYR. Image: RQYS

Rum Rebellion eyes off podium finish

Shane Connelly has raced his J/99 Rum Rebellion since the Double Handed Division was created for the 2021 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Since then, the yacht has completed three Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Races. The best result was in 2023, when Connelly and former co-skipper, Andrew Downing placed third on Double Handed IRC and IRC Division 3.

The Rum Rebellion crew are keen to get a podium finish in this year’s NSGCYR.

Connelly lives for the tight competition within the Double Handed fleet. In last year’s NSGCYR, Connelly and current co-skipper, Tony Sutton, finished within a mile of two other J/99s. Impressive, especially after 384nm of racing.

“You sail 300 nautical miles and you can still see each other. That is just silly, isn’t it?” Connelly said.

In 2024, Rum Rebellion placed fourth on Double Handed IRC and second on Corinthian PHS.

Although, Connelly and Sutton were happy with those results, one call to tack towards Main Beach Gold Coast cost them dearly. They aim to minimise errors in this year’s race.

“We always like to get on the podium,” Connelly said.

CYCA’s Season Opener

For the first time, the start of the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race will also mark the CYCA’s inaugural Season Opener — a new event designed to launch the offshore sailing season in style.

Open to Members, guests and all sailing and sports enthusiasts, the day features a spectator boat experience aboard Eclipse with live race commentary by around the world sailor Jack Macartney, followed by an afterparty back at the Club with live music, food activations and a vibrant atmosphere to celebrate the start of the season.

Follow the race

Keep up with the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race action in real time. Watch the broadcast of the start via our livestream on the race website and the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race Facebook page. And track your favourite yachts throughout the race, via the yacht tracker page on the race website. We will also be posting live updates on our race website and social media pages.

See the below links:

NSGCYR entrants

Season Opener tickets

Additional photo credits

Featured image credit – CYCA | David Hislop