Jess Atkinson Interview

DF 95 Traveler Series Interview number 2.

February 25th, 2025.

Jess Atkinson, winner of the Midwinter/ Traveler Regatta at

Eldorado Park. ( second venue in Traveler Series).

BY: Eugene Elliott M.D.

Question;

Jess, you are well-known on the West Coast and beyond for your RC sailing

Expertise. Tell me a little bit about your life journey.

Jess;

For the last 42 years, I drove tugboats, both coastal and harbor. I was in San Francisco

Bay for over 30 years and was in Southern California for about six years prior to moving.

North.

I learned to sail as a young kid on the lakes in Arizona. My Dad started me out there.

 

Question;

What kind of boats?

Jess;

My Dad built our first sailboat. It was an inland lake planning skow. Then I had a boat called an

Eightball which was similar to a Naples Sabot.

 

Question;

As an adult working in the maritime industry did you have time to sail?

Jess;

I did some sailing. I owned a 30-foot sailboat, and sailed to Catalina often. That’s how

I dated my future wife. When we moved to Northern California I bought a 48-footer.

We lived on that boat in Alameda.

 

Question;

How and when did you get interested in RC sailing?

Jess;

I got exposed to RC sailing when I was really young, maybe 13 or 14y.o., before I could drive a car. My uncle was doing it. He would bring us down to the Mission Bay pond in San Diego.

Many times. When I was in high school I built a 36/600. Never got to float it. My brother was involved in radio boats. I was always a hobbyist. I flew gliders for a while. I really started

Sailing RC sailboats when my uncle became too old, he gave his fleet to my brother and me.

 

Question;

When did RC sailing become a serious endeavor?

Jess;

I was given a Soling 50 in about 1993-4. I sailed it one day a month but wanted to

Be more active so I bought an Odom kit, and actually built a couple of them. I would come

Down to King Harbor and race. My brother had a Santa Barbara so I bought a Santa.

Barbara. When I came down to visit my brother on the weekends we would race both classes. That kickstarted the progression of RC sailing.

 

Question;

Eldorado Pond, two weeks ago, no wind, no patterns, you were pretty much unbeatable,

Not by short distances, just plain dominant, connecting all the dots that no one else could

See. What are your thought processes in very light air?

Jess;

First and foremost I keep the boat moving. The wind and my tune were at one with each other. I was just along for the ride and my boat took me there. I just let it rip.

I set the boat up a little loose. You can’t have the boat set up for 6 knots of wind if you’re

Sailing in one knot.

 

Question;

I observed you were working the sails a lot. Is that something you consciously think about?

Jess;

I think about working the sails more than the rudder. From RCs to dinghies  to big boats

Staying off the rudder is faster.

Question;

So when you got a lift, you didn’t necessarily take it?

Jess;

I would initially sheet out a little bit which would generate some speed which helps to generate some flow then I would sheet in if I needed to depending on the lay lines.

 

Question;

Do you use that technique in all conditions or more prevalently in light air?

Jess;

When the conditions and situations dictate I do like that technique but there are times.

When sailing a tighter weather course is also important.

 

Question;

When you say loosen the boat for light air, you’re mostly referring to twist/

Jess;

correct

 

Question;  I’ve read that light air tuning is not too dissimilar to heavy air tuning in the sense

In heavy air you want more twist to depower the boat. Is that accurate?

Jess;

The concept is good but it’s not the same. The day before Eldorado I raced in San Diego in

4-6 knots and the biggest change I made in my tune was to let off the vang a little bit in

Eldorado.

 

Question;

Recently at Mission Bay Aquanauts, you gave a really good seminar on tuning the DF 95.

In that seminar, you explained looking at the break of the jib and adjusting the twist.

To basically have an even break from top to bottom. Can you, for the benefit of our

The audience explains that concept.

Jess;

It’s a sailing and tuning technique I use. From making my own sails I have learned what

Makes a boat go fast and slow. I learned that most of it had to do with how much twist was

In the jib. So then I figured out not just with measurement but how to read it on the water.

So I could pull the boat in quickly and make changes as necessary between races.

I developed an eye for that. I generally let the top of the sail lead in the break, then the break moves down instead of letting the bottom of the sail lead the break. It’s a visual

Concept.

 

Question;

So if the bottom of the sail was breaking first you would add a little more twist?

Jess;

That’s correct. If I’m sailing and the top is just stalling and flogging I would tighten up the

Leach. It’s the same concept as moving the car on a big boat. The topping lift is the solution for that in radio sailing boats. I’m an advocate of tuning my boat on the water. You might

Bring it back once or twice or four times. I don’t do it all on the beach and just go sailing.

 

Question;

I was told you set the twist of the main and then match the jib twist to the main.

Jess;

I don’t think it’s a bad idea, but sometimes I see guys set up their DF95 with too flat a main

Verses IOMs that tolerate a tighter leach. If you then match a tight main leach to the jib you’ll have a case of the slows.

 

Question;

How did you get interested in sailmaking?

Jess;

I had a dear friend, rest in peace named Karl Tulp.. He was making sails for guys.

I asked him to make some sails for me. I used his sails for a long time. I got 4th in the

Odom Nationals of 2002 in Las Vagas with his sails. After that, he told me he was not going.

To make any more sails for me but he would teach me how, using the Swede Johnson.

Technique. I’ve expanded on that but still use his 101 principles. The art of being able to create drove the whole sail-making thing. I owe my appreciation to Carl who got me started.

 

Question;

I would think that being an accomplished sailmaker gives you a heightened understanding of what makes a boat go fast.

Jess;

I think it does in the sense that I’m very conscious of the work that I do.

 

Question;

What’s your basic routine between races?

Jess;

I’ll take a look up and down the pond and adjust my boat accordingly but I still will

Take a new look sailing for final adjustments.

 

Question;

Are any pearls in your basic boat preparation?

Jess;

I go through the boat in my garage, but if it isn’t broken I don’t fix it, but if I see a chaffed line I will change it. If any of these boats are tuned properly they are on fire, so not a lot of changes, just millimeters if necessary.

 

Question;

I don’t know if you’re planning but if you were going to sail in the DF95 NCR in Newport Rhode Island, current, likely waves. What is your technique for getting a low-inertia boat

Through the waves?

Jess;

That’s a really good question. I revert back to some of my big boat stuff. Mostly I try not to get stalled out on the crest of the wave. The tune is completely different and it’s all about making sure the boat doesn’t lose power. Your situational awareness has to be heightened.

When and when not to tack You have to think ahead. If you tack at the wrong time you could end up stopped dead by the crest of a wave in irons.

 

Question;

Your concept of situational awareness is really important.

Jess;

I think a lot of radio sailors are focused on their boats and possibly on the body of water. But

Then you have the guys that are looking windward, looking at the puffs, lifts, headers.

Those are different levels of situational awareness. Putting all those pieces together is when you start winning. That’s when you see guys rise to the top like Gary Boell, Sean Fidler, Peter Feldman, Steve Landeau, and Craig Mackey to name only a few.

For me, not to be redundant, I think it’s all about situational awareness.

 

Question;

What else can you say about the radio sailing sport?

Jess;

I am passionate about running clinics and teaching in my local pond, San Diego.

Argonauts. I have recently run clinics for the DF95, IOM, and coming up the Odom.

I’m really happy to be part of what the San Diego Argonauts are doing right now.

Through the clinics and other events, radio sailing is being promoted and the bar is

Lifted for everyone.

 

Question;

When I go sailing in San Diego I notice you will approach a sailor in a constructive fashion.

And offer a little tuning or tactical suggestion. I wish there were Jess’s at all radio.

Sailing clubs raising the bar.

Jess;

I relocated to San Diego 2 years ago but raced in 1998 in Soling 50’s.at Race Week.

I have noticed when I started sailing in San Diego 2years ago there was a lot of separation.

Between the top and bottom. Not so much anymore. That’s good for our sport and that’s

What I feel good about.

 

Question;

This has been great Jess. Do you have any questions?

Jess;

No, but I would like to end this with a quote from Paul Elvstrom;

I heard him once say when asked how to make a boat go fast his response was;

“I sit on the weather rail and stare blindly into the horizon”

 

Eugene Elliott MD is an active RC sailor and member of the OCMSC and The San Diego Argonauts. Sailing DF 95’s, IOM’s, and Volvo 70’s”