J/24 Europeans & Monaco Match-Race Championship

(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- More great news from Prince Albert's sailors at Yacht Club de Monaco! Twenty years after welcoming the J/24 European Championship to the Principality for the first time, the YCM will host the J/24 Europeans in Monaco once again, uniting the international elite of this series, considered to be of the world’s most important events for the J/24 Class.  The regatta will be held from October 5th to 12th at the spectacular, new clubhouse of the YCM situated on Monte Carlo's Port Hercule.

Also, from March 8th to 10th, the YCM is organizing a new Monaco Match Race Regatta.  The event is a collaboration with Bruce Hebbert and Ian Ilsley, who's very active and successful on the European Team Racing circuit-- getting on the podium on many occasions, including the Cowes Team Race (since 2006) and second during the Cumberland Cup in 2010 (Royal St George Yacht Club taking the victory).

The Cumberland Cup was organized by the Royal Thames Yacht Club of London, England and now the key challengers from that event are coming together again for the edition organized by Yacht Club de Monaco.  The YCM Match Race Regatta is open to "Twinned" and "Reciprocal Clubs" of the YCM.  The primary focus of the regatta is not individual performance and winning, but instead on overall team’s performance and learning. This highly tactical contest in J/24s will bring together ten Yacht Clubs comprising two teams each including at least three women (a requirement).    For more J/24 Europeans and Monaco Match Race sailing information

J/24s Sailing Primo Cup

(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- With nearly 1,000 sailors coming from all over Europe, representing some 15 nationalities, the Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse organized by the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM), is one of the most important winter events in Europe, marking the start of the international sailing season.

The regatta is sailed over two weekends in the beginning of February Feb 1-3 and Feb 8-10, with a primary focus on one-design sailing and youth sailing.  For the first weekend, included amongst the classes is the J/24 European fleets.  Amongst the J/24s will be the Swedish entry from YCM and Marstrand SS- Marianne Schoke and Stu Jardine from the UK sailing SWE 330 JULIA!  Also sailing are Alessandro Pedone from YCM sailing ITA 455 BEL COLP JESTER; longtime local sailor Dennis Frederiksen sailing MON 5452 PAGET for YCM and fellow club member Anne Rodelato sailing the famous MON 24 JOKER.

The Primo Cup attracts a lot of good sailors from across Europe to sail in the prestigious venue of Monaco.  Not hard to imagine why, since Monte Carlo is one of the coolest places to sail on the Med, plus Monaco is tres'chic!  The YCM has the support of the famous royal family- the Grimaldi's- a sailing family for generations.  Monaco's Prince Rainier collected his bride Grace Kelly by yacht from the deck of the USS Constitution, the ship she had travelled aboard from America.  And, it was on the same yacht, "Deo Juvante II", that he and the new Princess Grace spent their honeymoon cruising the Mediterranean.  In other words, salt water and sailing were in their blood.

Prince Rainier founded YCM in 1953 with the aim of promoting yachting within the principality-- starting with the old Société des Régates. In 1984, his son Prince Albert became its President (seen here at far right) and today the harbour is a seasonal focus of the international super yacht fleet.  Although a social venue par excellence, racing will always occupy a major role in the club’s activities, the Primo Cup in February being the season’s opener.  Youth and one-design sailing are a vital element of the club social life.  Prince Rainier founded the YCM Sailing School in 1970 for young people- it now uses a fleet of Optimists, Lasers and Picos. The club also hosts fleets of one-designs, including the J/24's which saw Prince Albert sailing for nearly two dozen years! Perhaps the J/70s will be the next fleet for YCM's club activities!

One of the great attractions will be YCM's new clubhouse, designed along the lines of a super yacht!  With its magnificent setting overlooking Port Hercule and the Med, it promises to be a superb showcase for Monaco, reinforcing its position as the Mediterranean's "capital of yachting". Designed by the world famous architect Lord Norman Foster, the new YCM building will contribute to the vitality of life in Monaco and the prestige of the Principality. It's an ambitious and symbolic project, check out this YouTube video of the new Yacht Club de Monaco-- pretty amazing-- J/24s can easily sail in the pool!   For more YCM Regatta and sailing information    For more YCM Primo Cup sailing information

KONG EASYNET GRIFONE Italian EuroCup Winners

(Lecco, Italy)- The Italian J/24 National Circuit concluded recently with the final stage in their series determining the winner at the Trophy Credito Valtellinese hosted the by Societa Canottieri Lecco.  The great yacht "KONG EASYNET GRIFONE" sailed by Marco Stefanoni, Fabio Mazzoni, Massimo Consonni, Roberto Santomanco and Giusi Riva won the XXXVIII edition of the Winter Championship.

They took the lead on the second day of racing and never looked back, accumulating a scoreline of 2-2-1-4-5-1-4-6-5-1 for 20 pts net.  Joining them on the podium was JAMAICA sailed by Gianluca Caridi, Ginesi Fabrizio, Giuseppe Garofalo and Paul Governato who sailed a very strong series but after losing the lead on the second day could never gain it back.  Their record of 4-3-4-1-1-14-1-5-5-8 for 24 pts was good enough for second place.  Lying third was JJ EXTRALARGE sailed by Roberto Spata, Robert Martignoni, Michele Malandra, Andrea and Stefano Zamboni Carnelli.  They had a great comeback on Saturday and Sunday but not enough to overcome the other leaders with their record of 8-7-2-5-4-3-3-1-3-7 for 28 pts net.

The opening day of racing saw the "breva" wind (local wind from the south) around 6-7 kts, providing the fleet with two good races that didn't complete until sunset!  After all, this is what you must do when sailing high in the Italian Alps!

On the following day, the crews started in the early morning to take advantage of the "tivano" wind (typical wind from the north of the lake).  However, despite starting twice in these conditions, the sudden drop in the wind forced the race PRO's to postpone racing until the afternoon "breva" wind would show up to complete two races very late in the day.

For Saturday's racing, the decision was made to start even earlier in the impetuous "tivano" winds, sailing from 0800 hrs to 1300 hrs!  It resulted in getting in four races in 5-8 kts of wind and was a good test for the sailors.

Sunday's racing started under a light rain and the schedule was for two more races in the "tivano" breeze of about 6-9 kts, much to the satisfaction of all the participating sailors!  This was the seventh and last stage of the Italian J/24 Circuit that began in February in Monaco with the Primo Cup!  Many thanks for this contribution from Paola Zanoni.  More Italian J/24 Sailing photos and results.   For more J/24 Italian National Circuit sailing information

J/Sailors in America's Cup World Sailing Series

(San Francisco, CA) - America's Cup sailors participating in this week's ACWS 2013 Season Opener in San Francisco Bay are again having to put up with a strong contingent of past and current J/Sailors tossing a monkey-wrench into the works.  Starting with recent Gold Medal Olympian Ben Ainslie, he's on "training wheels" this week and progressing rapidly- having done well on the Match Race front and learning the ropes in the fleet racing-- a combination of dinghy and keelboat (J/109 & J/24/ IC24) experience have contributed to his open-minded approach to success.  Giving Ben and others a run for the money are J/24 World Champion Terry Hutchinson directing the Team ARTEMIS program along with other J/Alumni on other teams-- perhaps the Spanish sometime soon (Iker Martinez and friends from J/80 World in Spain?).  Then, don't forget John Kostecki, past J/24 World Champion as well calling the shots for Jimmie Spithill-- a formidable combo to go against in John's "backyard" (a.k.a. San Francisco Bay!).

Brian Thompson- J/24 offshore sailor

(Weymouth, England)- Brian Thompson, a J/24 sailor from England, has been setting sailing records for a long time.  Recently, he set a sailing world record as crew on the 130 foot French trimaran BANQUE POPULAIRE of under 45 days.  Just this past week, Brian sailed the MOD 70 one-design trimaran class in a record for under 100 foot sailing craft across the North Atlantic, going from New York to a mark gate off Land's End, near Plymouth, England (about 2,900nm) in under 5 days!  Then, proceeded to take a right turn, literally, to head south to Brest and still beat the record in 5 days 6 hours!!  Brian Thompson on his fastest Transatlantic yet- "It was a very nice finish, everyone is very happy.  This is my best ever-Atlantic crossing, just over 5 days from NY to Brest. I was probably waiting for five months of my life on PlayStation hoping for good weather and we never really got it, certainly not this good. The weather was almost ideal, we did not take the rhumb line past Newfoundland but went further south from the first day and then it was pretty much a straight course from there. We sailed a few more miles but we were always going fast, pretty much 25 knots or more the whole time.

I think I have done about 30 Trans-Atlantics and I think this is up there with winning the Quebec St. Malo on Sergio Tacchini and the other one was winning the OSTAR in 1992 on my own, my first Transat. This was a great race. if it hadn't been the for the foil breaking up, I am sure we would have been pretty close to the other boats.

I think we really did learn a lot. It was much harder to sail without the foil. Very easy to overpower the boat and nosedive, and so we were fine tuning that. If you had too much power the leeward hull would bury and you would stop dead. We were doing a lot of nose dives. It was a really good exercise.

The crew were awesome. Mohsin is more experienced and did quite a lot of driving and ran the pit (halyards) and was a real stalwart, and Fahad we knew was a really strong trimmer, but he turned out to be a really good helmsman. He could go very very fast, now over the next few months - he has really got the knack for it - and that adds to his skills, how to trim the boat, how to balance the boat, working out where the limits are, all things which take experience, he has the good the helming ability he has just not got the miles yet because he only started sailing three years ago and he really has come on incredibly." For more MOD 70 sailing information

Great J/24 & J/80 Kieler Woche Regatta

(Kiel, Germany)- This past week saw one of the largest regattas in Germany finish with a flourish with some great sailing for both the J/24 fleet participating and a growing J/80 class.

In the fifteen boat J/80 class, there were Polish and German crews sailing a good series.  Dominating the class was Germany's Martin Menzner from Kieler YC, winning with a remarkable six 1sts and four 2nds to simply crush the class, eight points clear of second place finisher Malte Christopherson, also of Germany.  Third overall was Thomas Dehler, fourth was Fyn Terveer winning a tie-breaker over fifth place finisher Karsten Thode.

There was a fantastic turnout for the J/24s, with 33 teams attending from Sweden, The Netherlands and Germany.  The J/24s also saw a top team dominate the proceedings, with Kal Mares winning with 29 pts, followed by Frank Schonfedlt in second with 43 pts.  Rounding out the podium was past champion Manfred Konig with 50 pts.  Top Swedish team was Per-Hakan Persson in 7th overall.  For more Kiel Week Regatta sailing information

Read Vying For Volvo Race Lead

(Lorient, France)- The Volvo Ocean Race is in its final week of sailing.  Hard to believe, but true.  At this time, just about any of the top four teams can win given the right combinations of racing.  But, the French team led by Franck Cammas on GROUPAMA will have an unassailable position so long as they average third in the next three races and could become the first French team in decades to win this epic around-the-world offshore race, this one being the longest-ever version with nearly 40,000 nm of sailing under their boats! 

Challenging GROUPAMA will be Newport's Ken Read racing PUMA Mar Mostro, hoping his collective experience of winning multiple J/24 World Championships will come into play in the last three "windsprints" left on the schedule.  Besides the two in-port "day races", the last offshore leg is just short of 500nm, a "day race" for these ocean-racing greyhounds!  It will be tough sailing, in fact more like a monster version of an intercollegiate dinghy race than an offshore keelboat race from a tactical point of view-- everyone will be in view the entire four days of racing!!  Good luck to Ken Read and crew on PUMA! 

And, not to be left out will be J/80 champion sailor from Spain, Iker Martinez and team on TELEFONICA.  TELEFONICA had led for 80% of the race until they broke their two primary rudders in a "chinese gybe" maneuver just before finishing the last leg into Lorient, France.  Limping into port on one rudder, the TELEFONICA team are hoping, like Ken's PUMA team, to win a few races and gun for the top of the podium, too!  Should be an intense, epic drama un-folding on the high seas off Europe!  For more Volvo Race sailing information

Italian LA SUPERBA Wins J/24 Europeans

Brazilian Maurizio Santa Cruz Wins "Open" Europeans
(Arzachena, Sardinia, Italy)- Can the newly minted Italian Champions in Sardinia also become the J/24 European Champions?  As "the Fates" will have it, yes.  Ignacio Bonanno on LA SUPERBA wins the J/24 Europeans while past J/24 World Champion Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz on BRUSCHETTA wins the European Open competition.

In the end, after a remarkable nine races spaced over four days the Brazilian team of Mauricio Santa Cruz managed to completely dominate the J/24 teams assembled for the European Championship.  After starting slowly (really slowly for them), Mauricio's crew sailed a 13-28-1-2-2-2-1-1-3 to win with a 25 pts total, 14 points in front of the second place finisher, LA SUPERBA. After winning the Italian J/24 Championships, Ignazio Bonanno on LA SUPERBA  sailed a very solid regatta, starting off strongly with a 3-2-2-8-3-10-4-7 to finish with a net 39 pts, winner of the "Europeans".  Third overall in the regatta was the American team from Seattle, Washington, Keith Whittemore and crew on FURIO.  They started with about as crappy a score-line as anyone could imagine- 19-ocs-21 but managed to overcome the romance of the Sardinia women and seductive coastline to score a 4-1-1-5-2-2 for the best tally in  the fleet for the last six races for a 55 pts total.  They just edged out the top German tea, Kai Mares on ROTOMAN that sailed a solid regatta to get a 9-1-3-3-9-12-13-6 for 56 pts.  Fifth was the American team of Mike Ingham on JULIA with a score of 2-ocs-13-16-4-3-7-9-4 for 58 pts.  For more J/24 European Championship sailing information

LA SUPERBA Wins Italian J/24 Nationals

(Arzachena, Sardinia, Italy)- The great island of Sardinia, famous for its fabulous sailing conditions, gorgeous azure blue Mediterranean waters, and incredibly delicious hospitality simply delivered in spades for the four dozen J/24 teams sailing the J/24 Italian Championship.  In the end, the reigning Italian Champions, Ignacio Bonanno on LA SUPERBA won the event for the second year in a row.  Meanwhile, the American team of Mike Ingham on JULIA/ 11TH HOUR RACING and recent J/24 World Champion Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz on BRUSCHETTA finished 1st and 2nd in the overall Open competition.  Just behind them was American Keith Whittemore from Seattle, WA sailing FURIO to 3rd.

It was tough sailing amongst the highly competitive teams participating in the four day event.  Half the fleet was comprised of Italian J/24 teams from all over the country vying for National honors, while the other half of the fleet were participating as part of an Open Regatta that was, in essence, a "pre-Europeans" for them-- great practice for the European Championship following the Italian Nationals.

After the first day of racing on Saturday, Alberto Gai's KIMBE led the Italian fleet and Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz sailing BRUSCHETTA was first amongst the Open fleet.  The fleet was treated to a nice northeast wind varying in intensity from 8 to 10 knots with gusts of 15 knots. For the most part, those who favored the left side of the course performed better than those trying to play the middle or right hand side of the windward legs.  "It was a good test for the crews" said Giorgio Battinelli, PRO of the RC.  Adding that, "races were very technical, difficult for the shifts, and it highlighted the qualities of the best sailing teams in the field."

On Sunday, the second day of sailing, the fleet had three good races.  The first race was the slowest of the day. With only 5 knots of northeasterly wind, the teams took over thirty minutes to get to the first windward mark. The air started to blow on the downwind leg at around 13 kts. The second and third races were conducted with a more constant wind, the same direction, but with an intensity of 7-8 knots. The fleet, in both cases, were clearly divided between those who had chosen the right side and left side of the race course. The two compact groups arrived at the windward mark in very tight formation, much to the delight of the many enthusiastic spectators who followed the race from the beaches of Arzachena.  The last race was the most beautiful of all, especially in the among the top four contestants, with the winners selecting the right side of the course.  After five races the standings saw the 2011 National Champion Ignazio Bonanno, representing Marina Militare Italiana, in first place with LA SUPERBA.

Monday's sailing, the third day of racing, saw the LA SUPERBA team continue to consolidate their position atop the leader board for the Italian J/24 Championship.  Two more races were sailed with Bonanno's team taking two more 1sts.  "We are quite pleased with the results obtained so far, given that we are racing against three of the world's strongest foreign boats. We had a little difficulty starting, the winds have been very shifty, but tomorrow, hopefully we have more good conditions. Foreigners are leading the overall standings, but we will not press on them, for now we try to defend the National title," said Francis Linares, a member of the LA SUPERBA team. Foreigners dominated the overall standings in both races. The first race of the day (race #6) started in a west wind around 14-15 knots. Always in the lead from the first beat was FURIO, skippered by Keith Whittemore, followed by the German team on ROTOMAN sailed by Kai Mares and the Brazilian Maurizio Santa Cruz on BRUSCHETTA.  In the second race (#7 overall), Ingham's JULIA/ 11TH HOUR RACING took line honors, followed by the Greek team on EVNIKI sailed by Athanasios Pachoumas in 2nd and Santa Cruz's BRUSCHETTA notching up another 3rd place.

The last day of sailing was simply "classic Sardinian" sailing conditions.  Two quick races were sailed in 12-15 knot Easterlies on the bay, making for nearly perfect sailing with a slowly oscillating wind.  In the end, LA SUPERBA dominated the Italian competition, winning the Italian J/24 Nationals quite handily.  Second on the podium was ALVOTORE sailed by Francesco Cruciani.  Third amongst the Italian teams was BOTTA DRITTA skippered by Pasquale Mario di Fraia.  Fourth was BOOMERANG sailed by Filippo Masia and rounding out the top five was the early regatta leader, KIMBE sailed by Alberto Gai.  Amongst the Open Regatta winners were American Mike Ingham on JULIA/ 11th HOUR RACING in 1st, Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz on BRUSCHETTA in 2nd and American Keith Whittemore on FURIO in 3rd.  Fourth was German Kai Mares on ROTOMAN and 5th was Greek Athanasios Pachoumas on EVNIKI.  There were two well-sailed women's J/24 teams sailing in the event, including one Italian and one German team.  Winners of the Top Women's Team were the German VEGA RAGAZZA team skippered by Stephanie Koepcke, leading her Italian sisters on EXPRESSIV sailed by Claudia Speziale.  For more J/24 Italian Championship sailing information.  Or, YC Arzachena sailing information.

J/24 Italian & J/24 European Championship Preview

(Arzachena, Sardinia, Italy)- With 51 teams already registered, the Club Nautico Arzachena on the spectacular island of Sardinia will have near record attendance for both the Italian J/24 Championship and the J/24 European Championship.  It's not surprising that sailors look forward to making a "pilgrimage" to the great island of Sardinia since it generally offers fabulous sailing conditions, gorgeous azure blue Mediterranean waters, and incredibly delicious hospitality.

Simply put, Sardinia is a favorite with sailors around the world. The weather and sea conditions and the spectacular landscape, from the Gulf of Arzachena and the archipelago of La Maddalena, make it a sought-after area for sailing competitions.  Not surprising.  So far, lovers of the Italian landscape and seascape include 29 Italian, 13 German, 2 Hungarian, 2 Greek, 2 Monaco, 1 Swedish, 1 Brazilian and 1 American team to date!  Included are the reigning Italian Champions on LA SUPERBA and recent J/24 World Champion- BRUSCHETTA, with Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz at the helm.

"We are pleased with the large number of participants, especially given the economic crisis that has forced many clubs to waive participation," says Tonino Chessa, president of the organizing committee, "we feared for the heavy costs of travel necessary to reach Sardinia. Fortunately, some shipping companies have guaranteed benefits on prices. This first result encourages us to continue to focus on these events, which I believe are the best tool for the dissemination of the economic development of our region and, especially, for the dissemination of the sport of sailing."  The races start with the practice race of the Italian Championship on Friday May 25.  For more J/24 Italian & European Championship sailing information

SERCO Wins J/24 Spring Cup

(Plymouth, England)- Hosted by the Royal Western YC in Plymouth, England (the same club that hosts the Fastnet Race after the boats finish), the fourteen J/24s had a seemingly fantastic time sailing in the bay outside Plymouth, massive current whirlpools and all.

With the mixed weather conditions, the sailors were tested across the weekend and managed to get in all seven races scheduled.  Starting out with a 3-1-2, the team on SERCO helmed by Bob Turner put in a solid performance and ended winning the regatta with 13 pts.  Duncan McCarthy sailed MADELINE to second overall, posting some good scores in the top two but couldn't maintain consistency to take the gold.  Sailing a similar "roller coaster" scoreline was Darren Stansbury on the redoubtable HEDGEHOG, managing to win two races but not steady enough crack the top, hanging on for a well-deserved third on the podium.  Rounding out the top five were Matt Hardy on NIKATA in fourth and Nick McDonald on LEGAL ALIEN in fifth.   For more J/24 Spring Cup sailing information

"Naples Navy" Blitzes J/24 Trofeo Academia Navale

(Livorno, Italy)-  The script could not have worked out better for the Naples J/24 sailing team representing the Italian Navy for their region.  In what turned out to be a demanding few days of sailing, from big winds, sunny days and driving torrential rains and breeze to conclude the regatta, the Italian Navy's Naples team sailing LA SUPERBA led by skipper Ignazio Bonanno sailed to a flawless victory to win the J/24 Class with four first places, two seconds and a ninth (tossing the 9th).

The Trofeo Academia Navale has become one of the "must do" spring events for Italian (and European) sailors in the spring sailing calendar.  After all, the city of Livorno and the Italian Naval Academy put out the "red carpet" and throw a fabulous show for all participants, all welcome from all parts of the world.  In the "what's not to like about this" regatta category, it may not be a bad idea to put this on your "bucket list" of regattas to sail-- lots of fun, with extraordinary pageantry and style, and few do it as well as the Italians.  This year's 29th TAN, as they call it, was no exception.

On the Opening Day, "It was the day of the embrace between Livorno and the world. Along Via Grande, decorated with the colors of the city and the 29th Trofeo Accademia Navale of Livorno and the City, are paraded the flags of the 20 marine-fairing nations from all over the world participating in the races of TAN."  Indeed, it was an impressive site. Ninety-five athletes (men & women) from naval academies of Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Great Britain, India, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden and Turkey. Also present was a Chief Naval Officer from Qatar who was sent as an observer-- he was so enraptured and fascinated by the atmosphere that he announced that next year, for the first time in thirty years, Qatar will be among the participants.  Where were the Americans and the famous US Naval Academy sailing team?  Or, their friendly Russian Navy Sailing Team?  Maybe next year?

From the steps of City Hall, the Mayor of Livorno, Alessandro Cosimi, gave the foreign sailors welcome on behalf of the entire city.  The applause and the enthusiasm of Livorno's citizens and elementary school children accompanied the parade along the way. It was quite a display of passion for the event and their embrace of this significant sailing event.  At the end, a parade of local historical "tall ships" participated in the festivities, including "Capricia", "Corsair II" and "Ursa Major".  Some people even won rides to sail and sleep aboard the sailing ships (count me in, too!).  To cap it all off, a significant cultural attraction was the collaboration between the TAN and the "Fondazione Teatro Goldoni," which presents the concert of "Tchaikovsky's Trio" in the picturesque scenery of the Goldoni Theatre in Livorno-- a breathtaking visual extravaganza.

Back to the sailing stuff.  The first day of racing was excellent, if not challenging.  The uncertain weather, rain in the morning and mostly cloudy skies for the day, did not affect the performance of the sailing competitions for the seven classes of racing.  After three races, Ignazio Bonanno's "Naples Navy" team on board LA SUPERBA was leading with a 1-2-1.  Second was Claudio Buiatti's JACK OF DIAMONDS with a 2-11-2 and third was Pietro Diamanti's JAMAICA NAVY with a 5-1-11.

Perhaps the most notable cultural/ sailing event of the day starred the famous Italian circumnavigator of Planet Earth- the Florentine sailor Amerigo Vespucci.  Captain Vespucci's 500th Anniversary was featured and was dedicated to his works at home in Tuscany and Livorno (his main port).

The next day of sailing saw a mix of "partly cloudy" conditions, really good wind, rain and clouds flying across the race course.  Nevertheless, despite the rain, the J/24 teams saw LA SUPERBA continue their dominance of the class.  Ignazio Bonanno's team finished the day with a three 1sts and two 2nds.  Spanking anyone?  Ouch.  Iganzio's team laid down the law and made sure no other team was going to beat them.  The German sailor Stefan Karsunine and Marco Vincenti, were in 2nd and 3rd overall, respectively.  They passed the Monaco team of Dennis Frederiksen.

The last day of sailing was almost anti-climactic for the J/24 teams.  After getting a good-ole-fashioned, military-like, "blitzkrieg" the J/24 competitors simply saw the "Naples Navy" on LA SUPERBA, led by skipper Ignazio Bonanno, walk off with a near flawless victory with four 1sts, two 2nds and a ninth. The silver medal was won by German Stefan Karsunine sailing MAX BAHR.  Bronze on the podium was taken by Marco Vincenti and Fabio Delicati of the POLIZIA PENITENZARIA.  Fourth was top J/24 Monaco Team sailor Dennis Frederiksen on YC MONACO and fifth was Litikey Farmas on NAVISCON from Hungary.

At the end of the day, here are some compelling facts.  Despite economic distress in various parts of Europe, indeed the world, this year's 29th edition of TAN saw record numbers with 16 classes of racing with 281 boats and 1,099 sailors from 20 nations.  Again, sailing, sports and the sea continue to prove to be sources of union among the peoples and cultures of the world!!

Interest in the TAN is also demonstrated by the approximately 100,000 visitors who visited the port of Tuttovela Medici during the event (just 3 days)-- and the J/24 class is the "premiere media sailing class" at the event.  Yes, that is an amazing figure.  Similar to what is seen in Newport, RI for "Tall Ships" events and far, far beyond anything ever touted (or ever seen) in the America's Cup!.  Italian sailing media are considered (alongside their French, German, Spanish and UK counterparts) to be amongst the best in the world-- TAN were accredited to more than 100 media professionals; Radio Flash Livorno broadcast live on TAN for five hours a day; and the agency ITALPRESS was print media partner for TAN-- collectively providing greater visibility and enormous "presence" to the event on radio, TV, print and Internet (social media).

As pointed out in the closing ceremony of the TAN from an Italian Navy Admiral, the success of the event is the result of the enthusiasm of the organizers and the synergies between all "actors" that participate in TAN-- institutions that range from military and civil associations, to government agencies, sailing clubs, sponsors and all those who still believe in the values ​​of sailing for the trophy. Trusting in the same enthusiasm and passion for the future, the event can look with optimism and ambition for the next edition of the TAN, the thirtieth.  Perhaps their American and the Russian counterparts might join, too?
Please visit the Trofeo Accademia Navale sailing website for more information

A Media-Gasmic J/24 Easterns!

(Howth, Ireland)- Thirteen boats attended this years Mediagasmic J/24 Eastern Championships in Howth.  The Howth YC laid out the red carpet for the competing crews and all had a wonderful time sailing over the weekend in "fresh to frightening" north-easterlies.

With a third place in the opening race being his worst result in the six-race series, JP McCaldin in JAMAIS ENCORE from Lough Erne YC was an impressive winner of the Mediagasmic-sponsored J/24 Eastern Championships at Howth over the weekend.

Even National Champion Flor O'Driscoll on HARD ON PORT couldn't match the level of consistency that the northern visitors demonstrated while another feature of the weekend was the steadily-improving performance of the HYC K25 Team on KILCULLEN EURO CAR PARKS who finished 5th overall.

Discarding an 11th in the first race, the crew - led by John Blake and with Cillian Dickson on the helm - clearly learned a lot as the days went on, culminating in top notch 2nd and 3rd finishes on the second day.   

The Championship started on Saturday with four races in fresh north-easterlies and first blood was drawn by Howth's JIBBERISH (Fergus O'Kelly & others) whose gamble of a left-side long tack paid off handsomely for a sweet victory ahead of O'Driscoll and McCaldin.

Race two, three and four saw NYAH (Hyde & Deasy, RCYC/RStGYC) and JAMAIS ENCORE take turns to head the fleet, with NYAH winning two to head the fleet overnight. The fourth race highlighted just how competitive the fleet was, with 12 boats finishing within five minutes.

Fortunes were reversed on Sunday when NYAH had a disastrous 9th in the opening race and then a 4th while major rival McCaldin by comparison, had a dream day on the water. The fifth race in the series saw the Lough Erne crew win by a massive margin and while they only had to sail safely in the last race, second behind HARD ON PORT was more than enough to secure the Eastern Championship trophy with a margin of four points.

The Mediagasmic-sponsored event attracted visiting boats from Malahide, Lough Erne, Lough Ree, Lough Swilly, Royal Cork and Carrickfergus and was considered an outstanding success by the 13 crews, with much praise heaped on PRO David Lovegrove and his team for the quality of the racing.  For more MediaGasmic J/24 Irish Eastern Championships Sailing information

J/24 Italian America's Cup Sailing

(Naples, Italy)- In keeping with the influence of Italy on the sailing world, it's somewhat coincidental that SAILING WORLD's recent "50th Celebration" article from past J/24 World Champion and College Sailor of the Year Terry Hutchinson- "Recover from a bad start"- was published recently.  As Terry said, "Patience is a virtue when it comes to recovering from a bad start."  In it, Terry Hutchinson explains how to get in the clear after a bad start: "You know you've had a bad start when you can't execute the game plan determined before the race. Two critical things must happen if you wish to recover: the helmsman has to sail the boat as fast as possible while in dirty air, and you need to decide where to go to get clean air."  Here's the article- http://www.sailingworld.com/experts/recover-from-a-bad-start

But, what to do after a "bad spill"?  Don't have that answer yet!  Take a look at this problem Terry recently encountered while racing an AC45 in the America's Cup World Series off Naples, Italy--

http://www.americascup.com/en/Latest/Gallery/2012/4/AC-World-Series---Race-Day-One---News/

What's the coincidence here??  Terry's up against LUNA ROSSA that has Francesco De'Angelis as a principal part of their racing/management program.  LUNA ROSSA recently won the fleet racing, appropriately enough, in Naples, Italy in the same waters that Francesco won his 1987 J/24 World Championship off the famous island of Capri!  Small world, eh?

J/24s Sailing Regattas Invernale (Winter Regattas)

(Taranto/ Anzio-Nettuno/ Marina di Capitana/ Cervia/ Cagliari, Italy)- The J/24 class in Italy continues to reign supreme as the pre-eminent one-design class across the country.  With hundreds of boats spread across the country, it's easy to hop into one, give the boat a "refresher" and go sailing with friends.  The J/24 Winter Regatta circuit is conducted in five sailing areas around Italy, from the North to the South, from East to West.  Here are some quick updates on their activity since the start of 2012.

TARANTO- So far, in what is perhaps the southernmost Italian J/24 fleet located in Taranto (inside the "heel of the boot"), they are the only fleet that has seen the most sailing this winter on the Ionian Sea.  It looks like JEBEDEE ITA-427 with the duo of Soriano-Macina continue to lead the standings in a fleet of sixteen J/24s, but DOCTOR J ITA-406 skippered by Sandro Negro is only one point behind.  They are currently ahead of MA TI LTD ITA-490 sailed by Angelo Lombardo and John Cavallo, LUMACHIA COSIMO DE PADOVA ITA-172 sailed by Carlo D'Errico.  For more J/24 Taranto sailing information

ANZIO-NETTUNO- This region for J/24 sailing includes the entire Gulf of Anzio and Nettuno (Rome, Vatican City) and the various yacht clubs that surround it, including the Navale Italiano.  So far, they've had good racing despite the tough conditions with mistral/scirocco type of conditions with rough seas and 15-25 knots winds from the Easterly quadrants (blowing offshore).  In this fleet of twenty-eight J/24s, the NAVY's ITA-416 sailed by Ignatius Buonanno is leading with Marco Vincenti in second and Massimo Mariotti in third.  The fleet tried to sail the past weekend, but horrible weather forced the Polizia to stop traffic in many areas near the coast, canceling races for the weekend.   For more J/24 Anzio-Nettuno sailing information

After the second weekend of racing, the J/24 teams did have a nice video made of their winter series, you can see it here:  http://www.saily.it/webtv/video.php#572/2762

MARINA DI CAPITANA- Out on the island of Sardinia, the J/24 fleet has been having a much harder time getting their winter series rolling due to incredibly bad weather.  Whatever they've been getting on the mainland, it's only twice as worse or more out on the island, especially with the winds in the ENE quadrants- mistrals are rough going on the northeastern shores of Sardinia.

The Winter Series Championship is organized by the Yacht Club St. Helens under the auspices of the Italian Sailing Federation, with assistance of the Port of Cagliari.  Despite the dismal weather, the first weekend of actual sailing had a  welcoming sun and the nice wind made for three great races.  At the top of the leader board with three 1sts is ITA-103 sailed by Paco Jadine.  Just behind them is Laura De Luisa on DELL'INCIVISI Sailing Team with a 3-2-2.  Lying third is an all-girl team lead by Claudia Barbara sailing EXPRESSIVE MEDIFARMA with a 2-4-3.

On the second weekend of sailing, Claudia and her girls on EXPRESSIVE MEDIFARMA started off strongly by winning the first race!  Nevertheless, after two races the standings are still the same as the previous weekend as Paco Jadine is still on top. The Winter Championship in Sardinia will continue during the weekend of 4, 18, 30 March and 1 April.  For more J/24 Sardinia sailing information

CERVIA- If the weather was creating some difficulties to get racing going in Sardinia or in Rome, the sailors in Cervia (south of Ravenna) were far worse off on the eastern coast of Italy on the Adriatic Sea.  A combination of bad weather and heavy snowfall wreaked havoc on their winter sailing season so far.  On their first weekend of sailing in 2012, twenty boats were ready to sail but due to strong wind, fog, or absence of wind, they managed to only get in one race.  So, the schedule is getting reworked to schedule in more days for sailing.  At this stage the J/24 Fleet Captain Guido Gudagani is leading on ITA-400 CAPTAIN NEMO.  He's followed by Antonio Antonelli with KISMET in second and Fabio on ITA-424 APOLLONIUS in third.   For more J/24 Cervia sailing information

CAGLIARI- The other J/24 fleet in the southern part of Sardinia sails out of Cagliari and the renowned Marina Piccola Marina on the beautiful waters of the Gulf of Cagliari.  So far, they have managed to get in three races sailed.  Like their fellow J/24 sailors they've also experienced rain, cold and light winds interspersed with strong storms.   The report so far from one of the competitors:  "With three races so far, an indomitable race committee was able to carry itself well on a typically dreary day. Rain, little wind and cool temperatures did not deter anyone and the racing has been at the top, as is customary in this class.  A solitary boat appears to be leading the pack: it is Kimbe Alberto Gai, skipper and owner. This brand new boat, in which nothing is left to chance, includes Giovanni Meloni to call tactic and with a 1-3-1 seems to have taken flight on the group. Five points separate them from their pursuers."