Mollicone Wins J/24 North Americans

(Jacksonville, FL)- The Florida Yacht Club and J/24 Fleet 55 hosted the 2012 Merrill Lynch–Bank of America J/24 North Americans for the twenty-nine teams from across America.

The event opened up in a swashbuckling fashion as John Mollicone’s 11th Hour Racing and Peter Bream’s Team Tarheel went neck-to-neck against each other over two races and finished the day with four points each to lead the rest of the pack heading into the second day of competition.

Mollicone drew first blood by winning the first race with Bream finishing in second and Robby Brown’s USA 799 taking the third spot. The second race saw Rossi Milev’s Clean Air finishing first with Bream winding up in second again and Mollicone nabbing a point after nabbing third place. Milev currently stands in third in the four-day race off the beautiful coast of Jacksonville, Florida.  Conditions in Jacksonville were cool and overcast, with winds starting at 6-8 knots and a slight chop before dying out for a while in the afternoon. The breeze then filled in for race two at 5-7 knots.

For the second day of racing, Peter Bream on Team Tarheel claimed the lead.  Bream held the advantage over second place John Mollicone on 11th Hour Racing (24 points) and Mike Ingham on 11th Hour Racing in third (36 points). The day began with Bream’s Team Tarheel notching two bullets in races 3 and 4. Travis Odenbach’s Honey Badger crossed the line behind Bream in Friday’s first race, however took an 8 due to a scoring penalty. Mollicone’s 11th Hour Racing was third. In the next contest, another 11th Hour Racing—this time Ingham—placed second, followed by Clark Dennison’s Kobayashi Maru. Then it was Mollicone who grabbed the top spot in Race 5, with Rossi Milev and Robby Brown rounding out the top three. Ingham ended the day with a victory in race 6, trailed by Odenbach and Ron Medlin, Jr.’s Bash.  Conditions in Jacksonville were chilly and overcast with winds at 6-8 knots, building to 10-12 throughout the day.

After the third day of racing, John Mollicone’s 11th Hour Racing team emerged victorious. Comprised of Mollicone, Tim Healy, Collin Leon, Geoff Becker and Gordon Borges, the Newport team credited their consistency and team work during the nine races as the keys to their success.  “We had good starts, and our boat speed was good,” summarized Mollicone. “It’s hard to be in the right place all the time tactically, but our boat speed helped us get out of some tough situations.”

Finishing with 30 points overall, 11th Hour Racing won the regatta’s first race and never finished out of the top 10. “We wanted to make sure we didn’t have any real deep races, especially early on,” shared Healy. “It ended up paying off late in the regatta. We could afford going into the last race knowing we couldn’t get worse than second, so that was a nice place to be.”

Canadian Rossi Milev sailed an impressive regatta on Clean Air, and placed in second overall with 34 points including three bullets. Travis Odenbach’s Honey Badger rounded out the top three.  Conditions in Jacksonville on the last day of the event were the breeziest of the week at 16-18 knots with gusts in the 20s.

“This is a challenging place to sail because it’s not only shifty but there are a lot of holes and you have the current factor,” Mollicone said. “Tricky conditions, but the people at Florida Yacht Club are awesome and it was a great regatta.” On Saturday, Milev won race 7, with Greg Griffin’s Majic and Odenbach in the next two slots. David Van Cleef claimed the next victory, trailed by Mollicone and Odenbach. Milev returned to the top in the event’s final bout, and Van Cleef and Griffin followed.

The top ten overall were 1st John Mollicone- 30 pts, 2nd Rossi Milev- 34 pts, 3rd Travis Odenbach- 40 pts, 4th Peter Bream- 41 pts, 5th Mike Ingham- 43 pts, 6th Carter White- 44 pts, 7th David Van Cleef- 45 pts, 8th Greg Griffin- 63 pts, 9th Robby Brown- 65 pts and 10th John Denman- 74 pts.  Thanks for the contribution from Chris Howell.   For more J/24 North Americans sailing information

HONEY BADGER Sails To St Pete NOOD Victory

(St Petersburg, FL)- This year's Sperry Topsider St Petersburg NOOD Regatta promised to have good racing on the water on the basic assumption that Tampa Bay's infamous winter weather patterns cooperated.  They didn't.  Unfortunately.  Light, shifty, drizzly day was the order of the day on Friday.  Then, Saturday dawned with fog and no wind in the morning giving way to glorious sunshine and no wind in the afternoon-- at least the parties were fun!  Then, after nearly two days of no wind, the weather Gods tossed the fleet a huge curve ball as a massive trans-continental Low frontal system passed from the West to East across America.  With gusts into the mid-20s, the fleets were challenged with short steep chop and shifty breezes making for some tough beating upwind and fast rides off-the-wind.

The biggest one-design keelboat class at this year's STSPNR were the fleet of nineteen J/24s, easily eclipsing any other fleet at the event!  Returning champion from the local Davis Island YC, Todd Fedyszyn, had his hands full on his boat SPOONY TACTICS, managing to accumulate an 11-3-2-3 for 19 pts, good enough for just fourth place.  The winner of the class in a "runaway" was Travis Odenbach from Rochester YC on HONEY BADGER, garnering a very fast 5-1-1-1 for 8 pts to win not just the J/24 class but also the coveted St Pete NOOD Overall Champion of the largest and most competitive class at the regatta-- earning himself a trip to sail in the NOOD Championship Regatta in the British Virgin Islands 2012 later in the year on giant, air-conditioned cruising bath-tubs equipped with air-powered weed-whacker blenders- renowned for making killer "umbrella rum drinks"!  Just behind Travis and crew were Chris Stone from Atlantic Highlands YC sailing VELOCIDAD to a 3-4-3-2 record for 12 pts to secure 2nd overall.  Also flying the AHYC flag and lying third sailing a very solid series was John Surguy on VANISHING ACT, adding up a 4-2-5-5 score for 16 pts. Rounding out the top five behind Todd on SPOONY was Steve Wood from SailNewport sailing TASMANIAN DEVIL.

In the J/80s, a competitive contingent of eight boats rocked and rolled in the breezy conditions on Sunday.  Many found it to their liking and had some fun planing around on some good puffs and decent waves.  The fleet had a good cross section of teams from across the country, from Texas to Wisconsin, Florida to New England.  Winning was Fort Worth Boat Club's Ramon Torres sailing 80 PROOF, managing to sail a very consistent 4-1-2-2-1 score for 10 pts and easily win their class.  Behind Ramon was a very tough race for the balance of the podium, if not the top five. Second was Gary Panariello hailing from North Shore YC racing COURAGEOUS to a 2-2-3-3-7 for 17 pts.  Just one point back in third was local Randy St James sailing for Davis Island YC onboard CLAIRE, managing to sail super-fast on the last day to snag a 6-5-4-1-2 tally for 18 pts.  Yet one more point back was Tod Patton from Milwaukee YC sailing BLONDIE to a 7-3-1-4-4 score for 19 pts.  And one more point back from him was Ian Torrie from Nepean Sailing Club racing BLIND FAITH to a 3-4-5-5-3 record for 20 pts.  Whew! That was a close finish for these four boats on the last day!    Sailing photo credits- Allen and Daniela Clark/ Photoboat.com  For more St Pete NOOD Regatta sailing information

St Petersburg NOOD Preview

(St Petersburg, FL)- This year's Sperry Topsider St Petersburg NOOD Regatta promises to have competitive fleets of J/24s and J/80s sailing on the waters of Tampa Bay.
Last February, Todd Fedyszyn turned a win in the J/24 class at the St Pete NOOD into a free charter in the British Virgin Islands.  On Feb. 17 to 19, on Tampa Bay, Fedyszyn will once again be aiming for that elusive overall championship. Standing in his way will be more than 100 other skippers, in 10 classes. But Fedyszyn won't have to look far to find some tough competition. The J/24 class, which will feature sixteen entries from as far away as Massachusetts and Illinois, is always one of the most hotly contested classes at each NOOD regatta stop. Local sailor David Mendelblatt is one to watch. As is Travis Odenbach from Webster, NY fresh off a highly competitive J/24 Midwinters the previous week also held on the capricious waters of Tampa Bay.

The J/80s have a good group of eight boats competing.  They will have to all contend with the "Middies" from the Naval Academy Sailing Squadron all competing in J/80s- a trio of sailors including Dave Manheimer on BEAR INSTINCT, Stephen Vincent on WILLY T and Jeff Jordan on EMOTIONAL RESCUE.

The warm weather and great sailing conditions on Tampa Bay are a big draw for out-of-state sailors, who usually make up over 50% of the fleet. In 2012 the regatta will feature sailors coming from as far away as New England, Michigan, and Ontario, Canada. The event also draws PHRF sailors, including Bill Terry's J/120 TAMPA GIRL sailing in PHRF 1.

Of note, the St Pete NOOD is welcoming aboard as Sapporo, the oldest beer brand in Japan, as the "official beer"-- since 1876 Sapporo has been a favorite among beer lovers for its crisp and clean taste and is the #1 selling Asian beer in the United States.   For more St Pete NOOD Regatta sailing information

J/24 Midwinters Preview

(Davis Island YC, Tampa, FL)- There are twenty-six plus J/24 teams headed down to "The Sailingest Club in the South", Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida, to do battle for honors of J/24 Midwinter Champion 2012.  As the world's largest one-design keelboat class, the International J/24 routinely develops some of the world's best sailors-- many of whom have won (or are about to win) events like the America's Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race, Fastnet Races, Transpac Races, and far too numerous National and World Championships in other one-design classes to name here.

Today, with used J/24s running from $3,000 "garage specials" to fully kitted-out $40,000 ready-to-win racers, there's a "weapon of choice" for anyone from just about any walk of life- from the 1 per centers to the 99 per centers.   Some J/24s have "cold taps" installed for casual-to-serious racing in weekday beer-can events to others that have nano-sphere micro-polished hulls and blades where even water molecules fear a close-encounter with such perfection!  No matter the expectations or level of playing field one chooses, you're bound to see all types at a J/24 event anywhere in the world-- all having fun!

Amongst the better teams attending the J/24 Midwinters in Tampa are some National and World Champions in the class.  Look for Mike Ingham from Rochester, NY, a past World Champion, to be on the leader-board as well as class veteran Tony Parker sailing the famously-named BANGOR PACKET from Annapolis YC, Annapolis, MD.  Also factoring amongst the leaders will be John Mollicone sailing 11th HOUR RACING from SailNewport, Newport, RI and Travis Odenbach steering HONEY BADGER from Rochester, NY.  Most likely winning the "Long Distance" award already is Ken Johnson, an Englishman hailing from Club Nautico de Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina-- a recent participant in the J/24 Worlds 2011 in Buenos Aires.   For more J/24 Midwinters sailing information.

J/24s Relish Miami Sunshine

Bacardi Miami Sailing Week Fun For J/24s
(Miami, FL)-  It was 'game on' for sailors in the  J/24 classes as they headed out to Biscayne Bay for their first day of competition at the 2011 Bacardi Miami Sailing Week presented by EFG Bank.  While the Stars were canceled due to thunderstorms in the area, the other classes were competing on two circles closer to shore where the overall conditions delivered water that was surprisingly smoother than yesterday when there had  been high chop due to a strong south-southeasterly wind.  "We've got a front coming in that went through Orlando and we've got a feeling that this is all going to turn nasty real quick," said one sailor. However, on the J/24 course the breeze from the south around 15 knots greeted the fleet, along with a sharp drop in temperature as a cold front made its way across the bay.  On the first day, Florida teams captured the top-three spots: Brian Kamilar (Miami) with Fran Bellocchio, Fabio Galarce, Mauricio Galarce and Enrique Quintero placed first; Patricia Walker (Vero Beach) with Richard Jarchow, Bill Scheureman, Gary Sprague and Thomas Wenzel were second; and Robert Pincus (Miami) with Patricia Amaducci, Eammon Delisser and JB Slater placed third.

For the second day, the air temperature cooled slightly, but not the action.  A north-northwesterly breeze and calmer weather on Biscayne Bay allowed four additional races by the J/24 gang.  How sweet it was.  With gusts, at times, to 20 knots, sailors that positioned themselves too far to the left suffered a lot.  Those who were successful positioned themselves to the favored side on the right with the wind coming in from the right. Two teams did all the winning in the J/24 fleet: Kris Werner (Rochester, N.Y.), sailing with John Enwright, Michael Mansfield, Fred Meyer and Kiki Werner won the first two races on the day, and Robert Pincus (Miami) with Patricia Amaducci, Eammon Delisser and JB Slater won the last two races. Pincus moved into first overall with seven points. Werner is second, tied on points, with Brian Kamilar (Miami), sailing with Fran Bellocchio, Fabio Galarce, Mauricio Galarce and Enrique Quintero.

On the final day, for the 472 sailors from 25 countries, conditions on Biscayne Bay were ideal as temperatures in the low 70s and sunny weather combined with shifty breeze to challenge them on the final day of racing at BACARDI Miami Sailing Week.  In the J/24 fleet: Brian Kamilar (Miami), sailing with Fran Bellocchio, Fabio Galarce, Mauricio Galarce and Enrique Quintero, finished 1-2-3 today to win the series with 12 points, one point ahead of Robert Pincus (Miami), with Patricia Amaducci, Eammon Delisser and JB Slater, who posted finishes of 2-1-4 over the final three races. Kris Werner (Rochester, N.Y.), sailing with John Enwright, Michael Mansfield, Fred Meyer and Kiki Werner, was third overall with 18 points.  For more Bacardi J/24 Sailing information.   

Team TARHEEL Wins J/24 Midwinters

(Tampa, FL)- It was not to be.  Racing the last two days, that is.  No chance for the top five to fight it out for top honors at this years J/24 Midwinters sailed on Tampa Bay;  the final two days of the four day Midwinter event were cancelled due to no wind.  As a result, the Davis Island YC in Tampa, FL, host to the Twenty-seven boats that participated in the Midwinters, did an admirable job in getting off six good races on Thursday and Friday.  As a result, Peter Bream from Jacksonville, FL racing TEAM TARHEEL won the J/24 Midwinter Championship with just 7 points, counting three first and two seconds in his score after six races. Getting silver on the podium was Pan Am Games Trials Gold Medallist John Mollicone sailing the "green" boat, 11th HOUR RACING/ SAILORS FOR THE SEA with 13 points.  Third overall was Rossi Milev on ORANGE BLOSSOM/ CLEAN AIR, another "green" boat.  Fourth was class veteran and wise man, Tony Parker sailed the "never-say-die-cause-we-will-catch-you" BANGOR PACKET from Washington, DC with 30 points.  Fifth was Robby Brown on USA 799 with 35 points.

The racing was tight in sailing conditions that ranged from 5 to 12 knots in the two days the fleet did race.  The usually aggressive starting line maneuvering got some boats in trouble while others took advantage and gained solid positions on the first upwind legs to carve out better fleet positions.  In these conditions, lanes upwind on the first leg were critical for clear air and boat speed.  Aggressive tactics downwind often bunched up the fleet at the leeward mark, creating very tight, contentious mark roundings-- permitting some boats to swing past a half-dozen boats or more and jump higher in the race standings.   For more J/24 Midwinter sailing  results  

SPOONY TACTICS Wins J/24 St Pete NOODs

A Heart-warming Wedding Present Goes Big and Dominates!!
(St. Petersburg, FL- Feb 20th)- Todd and Genoa Fedyszyn on SPOONY TACTICS edged out Mike Ingham's FAWN LIEBOWITZ and Travis Odenbach's WATERLINE SYSTEMS to win the 20-boat J/24 division at Sperry Top-Sider St. Petersburg NOOD, the largest fleet at the regatta by a country mile!  As a result, the Fedyszyn's also earned overall honors over the 86 boat, 9 class event, which includes an invitation to compete in the Sperry Top-Sider Caribbean NOOD Championship in the British Virgin Islands this November.  Cool!

Todd and Genoa Fedyszyn received their J/24 SPOONY TACTICS as a wedding present from her parents. "It's a good boat," she says. "It might not be pretty, but it's fast."

Like many wedding presents, however, the Fedyszyn's doesn't get used all that much. Both husband and wife coach sailing for St. Petersburg YC's junior program; they spend most weekends attending the sailing aspirations of others. One regatta they never miss—not for the past six years, at least—is the Sperry Top-Sider St. Petersburg NOOD. "With our schedules, this is the one event we set aside in advance," says Todd Fedyszyn. "We look forward to it every year. You can bet we'll be here next year."

As is so often the case, the key to victory was consistency on the starting line. In the ultra-competitive J/24 class, many of the pre-regatta favorites found their score lines mired in alphabet soup after incurring OCS penalties. "We were able to avoid being over early," says Fedyszyn. "One of our biggest problems in the past was our starts were either unbelievable or second-row. This year, three of our four starts were great, and even the one that wasn't, we were able to tack away early and get right, which was our plan.

"We were actually a little more aggressive with our starts than we've been in the past," continues Fedyszyn. "We used to always start in the middle of the line. This year, we were either within two boats of the boat end, or two boats of the pin. We just took a stab at the favored end. Having sailed against [local J/24 ace] Robby Brown in the past few years, that seemed to be where he was getting us. So we were a little more aggressive this year, and it paid off."

The SPOONY TACTICS crew—which also includes trimmer Doug Weekly and tactician Eric Bardes—has a fairly democratic approach to onboard communication. Information flows to Todd Fedyszyn, the skipper, from the bow on back. "Having worked together over the years, we respect each other," says Genoa Fedyszyn, who handles foredeck duties. "There isn't the sense that someone's opinion is better than someone else's."  "We like to make decisions as a team," adds her husband. "There's not just one decision maker. Everyone's input is welcome. We don't like decisions to be one person's. Of course, sometimes it doesn't end up that way."

On Sunday, the SPOONY TACTICS brain trust had some difficult decisions to make. "That dying easterly breeze is hard to understand," says Todd Fedyszyn. "We see those conditions a lot, but they're hard to read. It's hard to know whether to go right or left, especially with the current switching mid race."

Although he's been sailing on Tampa Bay for years, Bardes was at a loss when confronting Sunday's sputtering winds. "Local knowledge? Not today," he says. "It was tough. We took some risks looking for fresh air, and they paid off."  It was risky business maintaining a consistent scoreline in St. Petersburg, and when they're kicking back in the Caribbean this fall, the SPOONY TACTICS gang will be thanking their lucky stars. Contributed by by Michael Lovett at Sailing World.  Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes.    Full Sperry Topsider Sailing World NOOD St Petersburg report and sailing results  

Good Times on J/24s in St. Pete

Youngest Team Sailing J/24 RUSH
(St. Petersburg, FL)- For the youngest team competing at the 2011 Sperry Top-Sider St. Petersburg NOOD, it's all gravy.  Noah Blacker has a catch phrase. Or, at least, he had one on Day 1 of the 2011 Sperry Top-Sider St. Petersburg NOOD.  "Good times," says the teenage skipper of the J/24 RUSH. "For us, it's all about having a good time and racing against some really good sailors."

Blacker and crew—Addison Hackstaff, Alexandria Church, Martin Hood, Hayden Grant, Liam McCarthy—are products of the St. Petersburg YC's junior-sailing program. "We all sail Lasers and 420s for our high schools," says Blacker. "We sail against each other a lot, but when we sail together, it's just all fun. We have the music going— good times.

"It's funny," continues Blacker. "Our coach gets mad at us because we'd all rather go to a J/24 regatta. I mean, we love sailing Lasers, but they're so solitary. When we get to sail together, it's more fun. There's jokes going around, and we all kind of play off each other."

Two years ago, Blacker convinced his father, Michael—who's sailing this weekend on the J/24 HOT WHEELS—to trade in the family's 30-foot racer-cruiser for the 24-foot one-design. "At first, we just wanted to throw a crew together and see what we could do," says the younger Blacker. "This year, we wanted to be a bit more competitive.  As dinghy sailors, we practice a lot, and [compared to keelboat sailors] we probably get out on the water on a more consistent basis. We wanted to show that dinghy sailors can be competitive in keelboats."

In two races on Friday afternoon, this team of dinghy sailors showed some respectable keelboat chops, posting a 14-4 in a 20-boat fleet that includes such hotshot skippers as former national and North American champion Mike Ingham. "The first race was rough," says Blacker. "We don't start in the J/24 too often, and they don't start like a Laser, by any means. We got shut out, and had a second-row start.

"The second race, everything went well for us," he continues. "We came off the start, knew our plan, and when it came down to it, the stars aligned and we had the ability to execute. We got to go where we wanted to and tack on our own shifts. We were a little disappointed that we didn't hold on to the lead we had going around the first windward mark, but none of us holds it against each other for making the wrong call. Hey, we're just trying to have a good time."  Contributed by by Michael Lovett at Sailing World.   Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes.    Full Sperry Topsider Sailing World NOOD St Petersburg report and sailing results  

Mollicone Wins J/24 Pan Am Games Trials

(Tampa, FL)- John Mollicone racing Team 11TH HOUR RACING/ SAILORS FOR THE SEA beat a "who's who" of recent J/24 Champions (National, North American and World) vying for the honors of heading south to an awesome place to sail the Pan Am Games 2011 off Vallarta Yacht Club in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on the spectacular sailing venue, Bahia de Banderas.

After 7 races in winds ranging from 5 to 15 knots, John Mollicone and his team of have won the gold medal in the U.S. Pan Am Games Trials. The silver medal was won by the team helmed by Flip Wehrheim sailing ULTIMATE MARINE GROUP and the bronze went to Will Welles and his team sailing FAWN LIEBOWITZ.

10 boats sailed in the “Pan Am” configuration with teams of four and using 100% jibs only. Racing was incredibly tight with even the top sailors struggling at times to stay out of last place. The small fleet made for the perfect format for the trials as the Games in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in October will be limited to seven countries.  For more J/24 Pan Am Games Trials sailing information.   For more J/24 Pan Am Games Mexico sailing information.   

Bream Leading J/24 Midwinters

(Tampa, FL)- As part of its "J-One-Design Fest Month" at Davis Island YC, the club is hosting not just the J/24 Pan Am Trials and J/24 Midwinters, but J/22 Midwinters and the J/22 Rolex Women's World Clinic, too!  A busy bunch they are in Tampa, FL.

After 6 races, Peter Bream from Jacksonville, FL racing TEAM TARHEEL is winning the J/24 Midwinter Championship with just 7 points, counting three first and two seconds in his score after six races. Conditions range from 5 to 12 knots with tight mark roundings and aggressive starts.  Lying second is John Mollicone sailing the "green" boat, 11th HOUR RACING/ SAILORS FOR THE SEA with 13 points.  Third Rossi Milev on ORANGE BLOSSOM/ CLEAN AIR, another "green" boat.  Fourth is class veteran and wise man, Tony Parker sailed the remarkable BANGOR PACKET from Washington, DC with 30 points.  Fifth is Robby Brown on USA 799 with 35 points.  The racing is tight and it remains to be seen if Peter Bream and crew can maintain their incredible fast, dominating pace and strong tactics.  Five races remain to be sailed with a late afternoon cutoff time on Thursday, Feb 16.  Follow the J/24 Midwinters sailing results live from the water here.   

J/24s & Shake-A-Leg Miami At Key West

* During Key West Race Week 2011, Kerry Gruson, a disabled sailor from Shake-A-Leg Miami, helmed John Smittle's J24 CLASS ACT for the first time Tuesday, then Wednesday and then again Thursday.

John Smittle has made it possible for disabled sailors and now current Military Veterans from Shake-A-Leg Miami to compete in Key West Race Week since 2005.  On Thursday, Ketty Wilson Gonzalez, an Iraq War Vet who is part of the Shake-A-Leg Miami Veteran's program, also joined the team.  Cool, eh?

John Smittle who teaches at J/World Key West, has a local sail making and canvas repair loft and is also a Navy Pilot Veteran (a.k.a. a Top Gun/ Black Aces trainer on those little F-14 jets that only go a million miles an hour upside down over Havana--- just to check on Fidel).

If any of you J Sailors wish to help out on Harry Horgan's eponymous program in Miami, please don't hesitate to contact him at:  Harry Horgan, Ph# 305-527-5602 or harryhorgan@gmail.com or visit Shake-A-Leg Sailing website- http://www.shakealegmiami.org   

J/24 Pan Am Games Trials

(Tampa, FL)- This week, the Davis Island YC who bills themselves as "The Sailingest Yacht Club South of the Mason Dixon Line (actually, Southeast)" is playing host to three J regattas in a row!  First, they are hosting the J/24 Pan Am Games Trials, then the J/24 Midwinters, then the J/22 Midwinters-- they will be busy catering to the fun-loving, under-demanding needs of J/22 and J/24 sailors who always look forward to their time in the sun in midwinter Florida.

Starting this week, the J/24 Pan Am Games Trials has a "who's who" of recent J/24 Champions (National, North American and World) vying for the honors of heading south to an awesome place to sail the Pan Am Games 2011 off Vallarta Yacht Club in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on the spectacular sailing venue, Bahia de Banderas.  Amongst the leaders will be Charlie Enright from Bristol, RI sailing MOOKIE, Will Welles from Portsmouth, RI skippering FAWN LIEBOWITZ and John Mollicone from Newport, RI racing 11TH HOUR RACING- "the green, environmental boat".

Sailing against the American representative will be Maurizio Santa Cruz from Brazil, a past J/24 World Champion, who will have just come off of some good practice sailing the J/24s at Monaco's Primo Cup last weekend as a qualifier for the J/24 Worlds in Montevideo, Uruguay in September of this year.  For more J/24 Pan Am Games Trials sailing information.   For more J/24 Pan Am Games Mexico sailing information.

Of note are the fact that J/80 and J/24 sailors from Texas have won the Lightning berth for the American team at the Pan Am Games. Jay and Jody Lutz along with foredeck crew Derek Gauger recently won the Lightning Class Pan Am Trial's dominating a very tough group of sailors-- Go get 'em guys!!   

J/24 Key West HQ- Schooner Wharf!

* J/24 sailor Evalena Worthington- Key West co-owner of the famous Schooner Wharf- is hoping more J/24 sailors and friends show up next year!  The Schooner Wharf has always been one of the most popular hangouts for sailors participating in the annual race week off Key West. Walk the dock in front of the Schooner Wharf around 4 p.m. any day this week and you will a rainbow of colors as the place is packed with crew members sporting their various team uniforms.

That is the type of scene Evalena Worthington envisioned when she sailed into Key West aboard an 83-foot wooden schooner named Defiance. Worthington and future husband Paul met while delivering schooners and decided to settle in the Conch Republic and open a bar.

Worthington, a native of Sweden, is competing in Key West 2011 aboard the J/24 FREYA. She has sailed in the regatta many times before, but is skippering an entry for the first time in three years.

“I love race week and having all the sailors in town,” Worthington told the Key West Citizen. “I love to sail, love to race and it’s just fun to participate in an international event.”

Worthington and her four-member crew of Key West locals performed well this year in PHRF 3. Like so many other competitors at Key West 2011, Worthington’s team heads straight to the Schooner Wharf after a long day of racing to enjoy green bottled beer, blender drinks, Mount Gay rum and live acoustical music.

“It’s fun to be part of this event and have Schooner Wharf be part of the camaraderie that race week brings to Key West. I like having the sailors at the bar sharing the stories of the day.”   

J/24s @ Bacardi Sailing Week

(Miami, FL) – Following a successful inaugural year, Bacardi Miami Sailing Week will return to Coconut Grove in Miami, FL, from March 6-12, 2011. For the J/24 fleet that participated, they were treated to some remarkable, beautiful conditions.  The hospitality was considered "unbelievable, gracious, extraordinary, groovy, awesome".  Wanna have some fun?  Go for it. J/24s.  Miami.  South Beach.  Coconut Grove.  Biscayne Bay.  Hard to miss.  Great follow-up to Key West and Miami offshore events.  Weather is awesome.

The event will be a six-day experience that will gather national and international sailing classes together in a fun-filled week of regattas, awards ceremonies, parties, and cultural exhibits. The racing begins on March 7, with events scheduled daily through March 12. The prestigious Coral Reef Yacht Club will coordinate on-water activities in collaboration with Biscayne Bay Yacht Club and Coconut Grove Sailing Club. The US Sailing Center and Shake-A-Leg Miami will also support the event. Racing will be held on three separate courses on Biscayne Bay.    More information on Miami Sailing Week.