KAOTIC Winning J/24 Australian Nationals

(Sandringham, NSW, Australia)- The J/24s in Australia continue to grow their fleets, have fun (most importantly) and are getting a lot of people out on the water who've never before experienced sailing or racing a J/24.  Down Under there are a lot of J/24s to be had for a relatively small investment, so it's easy to get racing quickly and be competitive.  As a result, this year's J/24 Australia Nationals being held in "Sandy" have attracted an excellent fleet of around two dozen boats from up and down the southeastern seaboard of Australia- sailors of various ilk coming from as far north as Brisbane (north of Sydney), to way down west of Melbourne (Adelaide), to the far south off the island of Tasmania (the Tazzie's).

So far, it looks like the KAOTIC team skippered by Ben Lamb are liking the conditions in the bay and are leading the event.  Starting off slowly in the first race (a 15th), the KAOTIC gang have amassed several 1sts and 2nds to be on top.  Behind them in second place is Sean Kirkjian's team on SAILPAC, winners of various J/24 Oz events over the years.  And lying third is Stephen Girdis' CONVICTS REVENGE.  The top three "locals" from Sandringham YC are Adam Evans on SDM followed by Simon Grain on JET and Hugo Ottoway on the old BRUSCHETTA VI (a past World Champion's boat from Brazil- Mauricio Santa Cruz).  More news and photos after the regatta finishes this week.   Meanwhile, check out Sandringham YC's webcam-- they've had spectacular weather.  For more J/24 Australian Nationals sailing information

Cubria's Win J/24 Argentine Championship

(Buenos Aires, Argentina)- The J/24 class in Argentina continue to sail a fun "summer series" while their J/24 counterparts are frozen way up North.  Their latest "Campeonato Argentina" had a small but highly competitive fleet sailing out of Yacht Club Argentina off downtown Buenos Aires (one of the coolest cities on the planet).

On the first day of racing on Saturday, the sailing was well organized by the YCA Race Committee P.R.O.- Gneri Antonio.  It was a full day with very gusty winds our of the west (blowing offshore) and plenty of sun.  At times the wind was a steady 6-8 kts, but would often gust to over 15 kts (top end of the genoa weather).  The fleet was able to complete three races with perfect starts.  But the gusty, shifty winds made it a tactically difficult, but very enjoyable day.  Sunday was another day with ideal weather. ENE wind at 10 knots, much more stable than Saturday's winds.

In the end, the Cubria's (Nicolas and Mario) with crew Fernando Bertrand, Gonzalo & Juan Fildoro sailed a very steady series, starting off fast and hanging tough for the balance of the two weekends of sailing, collecting a record of 1-1-5-3-2-5-1-2-8 for a net 20 pts.  Second went to Matias Pereira with a 2-4-7-1-1-3-4-1-10 record for a net 23 pts.  Thid was Alejandro and Augusto Rossi with a record of 7-2-3-2-4-4-10-5-3 for 30 net pts.  Rounding out the top five were Fernando Montes in 4th and Santiago Doval in 5th.

On land the organization was excellent, especially ending the day with pizza, beer and tasty PIMMS prepared by Ken Johnson. One of the regatta highlights were that attractive prizes were raffled, donated by Ken Johnson and North Sails and commemorative caps were distributed to all participants.

Remember, the "Andes Mountain Championship" will soon be hosted by the J/24 fleet of Cordoba (see at right).  They have prepared this event with great enthusiasm and the program they intend to run is impressive-- it should be a very memorable Championship.  The regatta will be  held from 9th to 11th February in the waters of Lago San Roque in Villa Carlos Paz.  It is open to any boat or crew associated with J/24 Class regardless of Fleet, region or country. Because of the high winds, the local Cordoban J/24 fleet sails the "Pan American profile" with sails limited to jib, main and spinnaker and limited crew weight of 320 kg.

PLEASE NOTE-- the first 7 boats registered (NOT from Cordoba) will be offered FREE accommodations for the crew throughout the event-- a bargain!!  And, if you FLY in from Europe or North America, we might even offer a FREE boat!  Call us.  Sailing photo credits- EL OJO NAUTICO.com   For more Argentinean J/24 class sailing information

GOOD VIBES Rocks J/24 Mexico Nationals

(Coporito, Mexico)- The Mexican J/24 Class continues to build on it strength and momentum with fleets continuing to improve and get strong in both Valle de Bravo as well as in Puerto Vallarta. Other fleets continue to develop nicely.  Coporito recently did a fabulous job of hosting the 2012 Mexican J/24 Nationals.

The weather was less than cooperative with only six races of at least eight that were scheduled for the event.  But, sailors are sailors-- the fleet still managed to have great fun!

Weather conditions were changing all the time.  The first day of competition started with 5-8 knots, then the wind died completely and then re-started again with little velocity.  As a result a second race was held but, unfortunately for most fleet, the wind died again before most boats could make to the finish line before the time limit.

The second day the wind began to blow a little early and the first race was held again with light winds of 5-7 knots. Then like what happened on Friday, the wind died for about an hour before returning with gusts of 8 at 11 knots with rain.

On Sunday the racing began an hour earlier and the first race was again run in light winds of 4-7 knots and the last race was run in rain!  In summary, it was fun sailing despite the challenging conditions.  A great turnout for the Mexican J/24 fleet and a special "Congratulations" to the "Good Vibes" team for showing great consistency in widely varying conditions-- winning 4 of 6 races!

Congratulations to Team GOOD VIBES- Jorge Murrieta, Julian Fernandez, Diego Fernandez, Jorge Ogarrio Ander Belausteguigoitia- for being crowned the 2012 Mexican J/24 Champions! Second place went to VENDETTA sailed by Mario Velasquez, with Margarita Pazos, Mario Velasquez Jr, and Walter Porter.  Third overall went to a family team on BESANGA sailed by Jerome, Diego, Paul, Philip and Gloria Cervantes. Fourth spot went to a familiar name often at the top of the leader-board- Ken Porter on COMEX.  And, finally in fifth was Javier Velasquez and crew.  For more Mexican J/24 Nationals sailing information

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

Mollicone Wins J/24 US Nationals

(Dillon, CO)- The "Two-Mile High" J/24 Nationals took place this past weekend in Dillon, Colorado.  Answering the call to race in true "nose-bleed" mountain high territory were an amazing range of thirty-six J/24 teams from across America.  World, North American, National and Regional Champions in the J/24 class made the migration to the Rockies for some fun and frolic.

Over the course of the regatta, the conditions ran the full gamut from sun and 80 degrees to hail and 55 degrees, not atypical of the sailing experience on Dillon-- where "pop-up thunderstorms" materialize in hours, go around the mountains one way and come back at our in a curve-ball on the other side of the range!!

Eight races were completed, but John Mollicone only needed the first seven of them, building a 21-point lead to lock up the title. Pat Toole's 3 BIG DOGS team from Santa Barbara, CA were second with Chris Snow's BOGUS from San Diego, CA in third.  For more J/24 Nationals sailing information

J/24 US Nationals Preview

(Dillon, CO)- The "Two-Mile High" J/24 Nationals are taking place this weekend in Dillon, Colorado in one of the most picturesque settings in America's Rocky Mountains, if not the world.  Dillon Reservoir has to be one of the world's more challenging places to sail, like any mountain lake at a maximum elevation of 9017 feet (2,748 m) the winds come flowing over the mountains from every direction, often forming their own "micro-bursts" as you're sailing upwind or downwind.  Sometimes on the same leg, you're planing downwind under spinnaker while the boats around you are beating upwind with jibs up!! The activity for many can literally leave them breathless at such altitudes-- imagine a J/24 Worlds on Lake Titicaca in Peru at 12,000+ feet!

The J/24 teams sailing Dillon Reservoir are on a naturally formed lake that remained unnoticed until the mid-19th century, when gold was discovered in the area. Upon this discovery, the trade post town of Dillon was formed. The town of Dillon was on the bank of the Blue River and was the most populous area in Summit County. In the mid-20th century, ski resorts were becoming popular, outweighing the mines in the economy of the area; the town lost many residents to them. The lake became a target for expansion by the city of Denver, who deemed it necessary to have a water reserve in the high country.  The dam was constructed in 1961, enlarging the small finger lake into the massive reservoir it is today-- great for sailing!  The original town of Dillon was left to be flooded over and residents were forced to move.

For those who love sailing, the outdoors, majestic vistas and incredibly fun, but challenging mountain lake sailing, Lake Dillon ranks amongst the best in the world.  Answering that call are an amazing range of thirty-six J/24 teams from across America.  World, North American, National and Regional Champions in the J/24 class are all making the migration to the Rockies for some fun and frolic in nose-bleed territory.  Featured amongst the top teams will be Tim Healey's 11TH HOUR RACING from Newport, RI; Chris Snow's BOGUS from San Diego, CA; Pat Toole's 3 BIG DOGS team from Santa Barbara, CA; and the notorious Brian Simkins from Centerport YC sailing the appropriately named SHOULDA WOULDA COULDA .  For more J/24 Nationals sailing information

A PEARL For J/24 Canadians

(Vancouver, BC, Canada)- This year's J/24 Canadian Nationals were held in the incredibly picturesque city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Like her famous sister-city, Victoria, that hosts the annual Swiftsure Lightship Classic Offshore race every year, the Vancouver locals seem to have a habit of making sure that any sailor and their merry bandits of crew have a happy time, no matter the conditions or circumstances anyone encounters.

For the near dozen or so J/24 teams that participated in this year's J/24 Canadians, it would be fair to say that most every crew had a "happy face" no matter where they were in the fleet.  Beautiful sailing.  Fabulous hosts at West Vancouver Yacht Club.  Great racing with an RC determined to get in a lot of great races, nine total sailed for the series!  More often than not, tired sailors are happy sailors.  "Veni vidi vici", as they say!  We came to sail.  We came to party.  We came to have fun!  West Vancouver YC and their supporting cast delivered.

In the end, it was a "pearl" of a regatta for Mike Johnson and crew from Seattle YC sailing their great yacht PEARL to 5-4-3-1-2-2-7-3-1 to lay down the gauntlet for others to match, generating a mere 21 points in 9 races-- about a 2+ average?  Recent J/24 Seattle NOODS Regatta winner, Mark Laura on TUNDRA ROSE could not match their prodigious output, managing to amass a 2-3-2-4-1-1-3-9-8 record for 24 pts net.  Third was Bard Miller's HAIR OF THE DOG, managing to compile a 4-2-8-5-3-5-1-6-3 for 29 pts net-- an appropriately named boat, by the way!  To show you how deep the competition was, past J/24 Seattle NOOD champion Scott Milne started off incredibly strong and then faded from view, collecting a 1-1-4-10-5-7-2-8-2 for a 30 pts net to earn 4th place.  Fifth was Eric Sanderson and buddies on SUSPENCE, working hard against some formidable competitors to scratch out a 3-5-1-9-4-5-5-9 for 40 pts.

All in all, a very tight fleet that had a lot of fun amongst friends in a gorgeous setting.  The remarkably roller-coaster finish results were a testament to the competitiveness of the fleet-- only a dozen or so College All-American sailors sprinkled throughout the fleet.  Case in point?  Steve Fleckenstein on BABALOUIE, a former top Canadian Star and Laser sailor struggling against fellow bro's to grab a 7th in this crazy fleet, just 3 pts(!!!) from third place.   For more J/24 Canadian sailing photos  For more J/24 Canadian 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.