CONVICTS Overcome J/24 Australian Nationals

(Sydney, Australia)- This year’s J/24 Nationals were sailed on the fabulous Sydney Harbour and the teamwork at the host club, Royal Prince Edward YC, was nothing short of amazing.  Though the fleet had thirteen teams participating, the depth of talent was huge and great skippers were back in the pack.  Midway through the regatta, Ben Lamb, Dave Suda and Steve Girdis all had a mathematical chance of winning the regatta.  It was incredibly close racing all the way until the end.  In fact, big changes could (and did) happen on the final day of racing in the middle of the pack where just 6 pts separated six places!  In this group, Rolex Sydney-Hobart winning tactician Sean Kirkjian, Vlad (Singapore), Doug Watson, J Spot, Ron Thompson, Dave West, are all great skippers and would be treated to a “roller-coaster” ride of ups & downs all the way to the end.

Steve Girdis sailing CONVICTS REVENGE was crowned the Australian 2014 J/24 National Champion in an ultra-tight battle in the last two races, winning by just one point as a result of winning the last race! It was not an easy title to come by with so many tough cowboys vying for the podium.  It was consistent sailing that ultimately won the day for the CONVICTS, posting a 3-3-3-6-2-3-1-2-4-1 scoreline for 23 pts net.  Early regatta leaders, Ben Lamb’s KAOTIC crew, surely must’ve “blown a fuse” after winning four of the first six races (maybe it was too much grog?).  In races 7, 8, 9 they posted a disastrous 6-5-10 and basically had to win the last race to gain the title. Alas, that was not in the cards for them, watching Girdis’s CONVICTS win the finale and bragging rights as “Top Gun” in the Australian J/24 fleet.

Dave Suda’s gangsters on PACEMAKER were lying second after eight races with a very consistent scoreline of 1-4-2-4-4-2-3-1.  But, like their colleagues on KAOTIC, they also experienced a bit of chaos with the “wheels falling off their shopping trolley” in the last two races.  PACEMAKER’s 5-7 in races 9 & 10 dropped them into third overall, taking the bronze in a tough, tough fleet.  Rounding out the top five were BY THE LEE and Kirkjian’s SAIL PAC in 4th & 5th, respectively.  For more J/24 Australian Nationals sailing information

Mexico Hosting 2014 J/24 North Americans!

(Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)- Warm waters, winds from 12 to 25 knots, plenty of sunshine and the already famous parties await you at arguably one of the best sailing venues worldwide. The J/24 North American Championship will take place on the waters of Bahia de Banderas (Vallarta) from March 16th to 21st, 2014.

This is definitely a regatta not to be missed, so mark your calendars and make plans to attend this event which will be part of the  Copa Mexico in its third edition. Those of you who have attended the past two editions or the 2007 Worlds there can attest to the excellent sailing conditions at Bahia de Banderas (Vallarta).  The bay is one of the largest in North America and is easily accessible by many of the large airlines with direct flights from most major hubs in the USA and Canada, as well as, Latin America and Europe— making it convenient to get to & from wherever you are visiting Puerto Vallarta.

The host club will again be the Marina Riviera Nayarit located at the Cruz de Huanacaxtle on the north side of the bay— they’re ready to receive all of the participants with their accustomed excellent hospitality. The town itself, not long ago a sleepy fishing village, has seen tremendous growth recently due to the marina. Now with many great restaurants catering to every palate from international cuisine to real authentic Mexican food from both the region and the country. There is also a chandlery and spare parts store with a huge selection within walking distance! Close by is the town of Puerto Vallarta offering a taste of a real Mexican town with its cobblestone streets and buildings hundred of years old,  art galleries and exquisite food for all tastes, plus night life that is unparalleled!

All this alone would be reason enough to visit beautiful Banderas Bay, but if you add the superb sailing and weather conditions, plus friendly people and great parties, it’s a hard combination to beat.  Last time, the Brazilians “won” the dance contest, the party AND the regatta!  Can you top that!?

There are already 53 teams registered with many of the world’s top sailors in attendance.  Mauricio Santa Cruz from Brazil and five other teams are coming from Brazil. Mike Ingham, Tony Parker, Chris Snow and many of the USA’s best sailors are also coming. And, there are teams from Monaco, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Japan, Peru, Canada and many others also participating, totaling over ten countries.  The regatta organizers are expecting a fleet of around 60 to 70 boats!

For more J/24 North Americans sailing information, please contact Leopoldo Farias, President of the J/24 Class Mexico, at email- leopoldo_farias@hotmail.com  For more J/24 NA’s sailing information

Olcese Blitzes Peru J/24 Nationals

(La Punta, Peru)- The thirteen teams sailing the Peruvean J/24 National Championships for the “Copa Jose Barreda Moller” were pretty much given a “clinic” in how to sail J/24s fast by their past champion, Luis Olcese sailing SCARAMOUCH.  Tossing a 5th and counting five 1sts amongst their scoreline in a best of nine races, the SCARAMOUCH team demonstrated why they remain the leading Peruvian team on the world stage.  Racing took place for two successive weekends off La Punta- November 30th/ December 1st and December 7th to 8th.

While Olcese and crew were sailing in another dimension, the rest of the fleet was having quite a battle for the balance of the podium.  In fact, four boats were vying for contention over the two weekends, including Tania Zimmerman’s JITANA, Daniel Mendoza’s WAYRA, Lucas Pescherria’s TIAMAT and Javier Arribas’s HAWKY.  Seemingly, none of the four teams could keep themselves out of trouble, either having to toss an OCS or DSQ or overcoming bad starts/ tactics to try to stay in the hunt.

As is often the case in such tight four-way skirmishes, the last race determines the outcome.  By virtue of winning the 8th, and second to last race, Zimmerman’s JITANA held onto a slim lead for second overall over Mendoza’s WAYRA.  Despite an 8th in the last race (her toss race), JITANA hung on to take the silver by one point over Mendoza.  Had Mendoza finished 2nd or better in the last race, he would’ve taken the tie-breaker, that’s how close the finale was for these teams.  Pescherria’s TIAMAT was involved in several protests but managed to fend off Arribas’s team on HAWKY to take fourth by just four points after the nine races (eight counting).  Spirited racing continues in this fun-loving J/24 fleet in Peru and it was clear the teams enjoyed some of the nice sunny conditions with warm breezes during the event.   For more Peru J/24 Nationals sailing information

Bacardi J/24 Midwinters- It’s Official!

(Coconut Grove, FL)- Just as the swallows return to Capistrano, the J/24s keep coming back to Miami. This time the regatta host is Coral Reef Yacht Club, the new title sponsor is BACARDI, and the dates are February 21st through 23rd.

You might ask why this will be the 15th time that Biscayne Bay was chosen as the venue in the 36 years of Midwinter Championships? Yes, it might have something to do with the fact that Miami guarantees no blizzards, nice breezes, lots of great Cuban food and a legendary J/24 tradition. It also just makes sense.

According to last year’s winner, John Mollicone, “I will be down in Miami for the 2014 BACARDI J/24 Midwinters and really am looking forward to it.  I have been racing in the J/24 Class since 1998 and like the competition, the boats, and especially the great people.  There are no restrictions on sailor classification in the J/24 class so you end up racing against so many great skippers and crews.  I also love sailing with the genoa, which you do not really see anymore on other types of boats.  I love sailing in Miami during the winter months for its warm weather, dependable breeze, and I like the chop that Biscayne Bay has to offer.” Some of the other sailing stars who have already registered include Skip Dieball, 2011/ 2012 winner Peter Bream, Tim Healy (5 time champ), Robby Brown and Travis Odenbach as well as top local sailors like Eamonn DeLisser and Gary Sprague.

Although the J/24s have been around for 37 years, they are comparable to a Ford Mustang … still going, still popular and very American. Watching the boats with their colorful spinnakers is fun, too, and the sailors will certainly enjoy the food and beverages at Coral Reef Yacht Club along with the competitive race courses and regatta management by Coral Reef Yacht Club’s highly regarded Race Committee.

J/24's are one of the oldest classes still racing in Biscayne Bay. Local J/24 Fleet 10 was the 10th fleet formed in the late 1970's when the class first started and has as many members as the local Miami Etchells 22 and Snipe fleets.

Here are the ingredients: The Overall Regatta Chair is Mark Pincus of Columbus Day Regatta and Bacardi Miami Sailing Week fame. For a class which began in the 70s and is still charging along, “be there or be square”! You do not want to miss out on the sailing and the partying.

For more BACARDI J/24 Midwinters sailing information, contact Connie Bischoff at wingsmiami@aol.com or 305 812-1073 or check the BACARDI J/24 Midwinters website.