(Lake George, New York)- As one of the sailors so succinctly described the weekend, "Great regatta!! It helps to have wind, despite the cold and drizzle." And so it was for this year's famous version of the J/24 Changing of Colors Regatta. Coming off a record J/24 Worlds with nearly 100 boats in Rochester, New York, the local prognosticators at the Lake George Club were wondering if anyone would show up at all just weeks after the Worlds finished with hundreds of exhausted sailors dragging themselves home after an amazing event! However, what one has to remember is that Lake George is well, simply, Lake George. It's a bit like Mecca for J/24 sailors along the eastern parts of America-- the event often attracts nearly 100 boats in good years with fabulous weather; 2011 being a case in point with 72 teams sailing!! In short, the Lake George Club does such an amazing job taking care of its J/24 as well as J/22 sailors that it's simply impossible to resist. With thirty-eight teams showing up for this year's COC Regatta, it was apparent that the J/24 Worlds did nothing to diminish the competition for the top ten, nor did the weather. With good winds and a bit of a drizzle on, the sailors simply made the most of it and had fun not just on the water, but off the water as well. The sailors weren't disappointed as the on-shore festivities with great food, drink and music are the magic ingredients that keep the J/24 teams coming back for more each year.
Despite one really bad race in race #3, John Enright and crew on RAKE HELL sailed one helluva regatta, showing the local boys how it's done with a 2-2-31-1-3-1-6 after seven races to win quite convincingly with 15 pts net. After having a tough go of it at the J/24 Worlds, Travis Odenbach on HONEYBADGER dialed it up a few notches and sailed a good series despite a slow start, amassing a 22-8-2-3-1-4-1 record for 19 pts net. Third was Bill Fastiggi's gang aboard BEAUTY with the steadiest scoreline in the top five, getting 7-1-4-4-12-3-2 for 21 pts net. Just behind them in the top five were Patrick Frisch on ZIA with 26 pts, beating Chris Morgan's team on a tie-breaker for fourth. For more J/24 Changing of Colors Regatta sailing results
