Interview with 2002 J/22 World Champion Terry Flynn Terry Flynn topped off his J/22 resume with an impressive win at the J/22 Worlds in Corpus Christi, TX. The J/22 Class is establishing itself as one of the most competitive and fastest growing classes in the world today. Here are some of Terry's thoughts on the J/22 and the regatta through an interview with Scott Nixon. SN First of all, congratulations on an awesome regatta in Corpus Christi. Can you tell us a little about yourself? TF I grew up in Annapolis, MD and learned to sail at the Severn Sailing Association, in their junior program. As a third generation sail maker, I went to work for John Kolius in Houston, TX in 1980. I have been fortunate to work with some great sailors and sail makers over the years. SN Who sailed with you at the Worlds this year and how long has your team been sailing together? TF Paul Grenauer is the owner of Chunder from Buffalo. Randy (Dunes) Borges from Newport is the owner of U.S. Watercraft (the U.S. builder for J/22s). We started racing together in 1995 and have done most of the major U.S. regattas together since then. Together we have now won the Worlds, three North Americans and a Midwinters. SN How long have you sailed in the J/22 Class? TF I got involved back in 1988. Crewing for Jim Brady, we won a couple of North Americans. After that, the Southwest Circuit started to heat up, and I started driving. I have been hooked ever since. SN What is the best part about the J/22 and the J/22 Class? TF Any successful one-design class is only as strong as the people that run the class. The J/22 has a lot of strength in this area. The volunteers who make up the class office have done an outstanding job of keeping the class aimed in the right direction and growing. The other thing that the class has going for it is the sailors themselves. You would have a hard time finding a nicer group of people than we have in our class. SN There are a lot of great sailors in the Texas J/22 fleets. Tell us about the Southwest Circuit and how long it has been running. TF It has been going now for about 14 years, but over the last eight years the competition has grown pretty deep. We have a regatta about once a month in a different venue, including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Oklahoma City, Shreveport and Corpus Christi. We try to get in five races over the weekend and cannot start a race after noon on Sunday. This gets the out-of-town boats home at a decent hour. You count your best four regattas out of seven. We average about 30-plus boats per regatta. SN How did you prepare for the World Championships? TF I knew that sailing in chop was going to be one of the keys to success. I spent a lot of time going out in the afternoon to just drive the boat. I also had the opportunity to sail with different people this year. I talked you and Ray Wolff into coming down to Texas to sail with me. It was a great learning experience. SN What was the key to remaining fast in the variety of conditions in Corpus? TF Concentration. It was important for me as the helmsman to stay focused on my job. If I did my job and kept the boat moving fast, it made Paul and Randy's job on tactics that much easier. Shifting Gears. Corpus Christi is known for the short steep chop, and this regatta was no different. Most of the week, starboard tack was almost directly you were in a classic "speed building mode." This means easing the jib ¾'' more than normal, lead a little farther forward, backstay eased some but not enough that headstay started to move around, more twist in the main (top batten open) and do not pinch. When we did find a flat spot, we would sheet main and jib in a little more and take a bite to windward. On port tack, or the easy tack, you could sheet both main and jib a little harder and pinch up more into the chop. SN Six of your races were all single digit finishes in a very tough fleet with a variety of conditions. How did you remain so consistent throughout the entire event? TF Paul and Randy get all the credit for that. We worked hard not to make the big mistakes. We felt that, with our speed, we did not need to take a lot of chances. Being fast also means you do not need a lot of leverage on shifts to pick up boats. Our last beats were very key; we picked up about 15 boats on the last beats of the regatta. When the points are as close as they were in this series, every point is important. SN Terry, do you think you will be a moving target on the J/22 circuit in 2003 now that you are the World Champion? TF As the saying goes, "you're only as good as your last regatta." No one is safe on the circuit. I am sure next time I have a bad race (and I will), I will get my fair share of grief. SN Will you go to Italy next year to defend your title or will you wait until 2004 to race for the World Championship title again in your home town of Annapolis? TF I sure would love to go over to Italy and try. I need to start talking to Paul and Dunes to see if they are up for it. Annapolis in 2004 is a sure thing. SN Terry, congratulations again to you & your crew on an incredible job, and thanks for your time. TF Any time, see you on the 2003 J/22 circuit ! Copyright © 2003, USA J/22 Class