J/24 South American Championship (Los Sud Americanos)

Argentinean Rossi and SHARK Team Win

(Costa Del Sol, Brazil)-  The Argentine team, led by Alejandro Rossi, won the South American Class J24 which ended on Saturday in South Sailboat In rank he was vice commander Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro. And the Uruguayan Diego Garcia, who began leading the competition, finished third. The three final races were very exciting with heated competition among the top five in the fleet; in fact nearly full blown match racing between the current J/24 World Champion and the ultimate race winner.



When crossing in 3rd place at the finish line of the last race, the crew of the boat SHARK celebrated their victory nearly shouting themselves hoarse. Skipper Alejandro Rossi, 34, had won for the first time the South American title after sailing for fifteen years in the J/24 class. "The Brazilian, Mauritius Santa Cruz, offered tough competition on the race course, it was important to sail with great speed and be sensitive to changes in the wind. Santa Cruz is three times J/24 World Champion, so we expected a tough battle," said Alejandro.  Another element of difficulty was the weather, pointed out Mr. Rossi. "The wind streaks were complicated, with very fickle wind, both in direction and intensity and with a lot of rain."



The Mauritius Rio Santa Cruz team from Brazil sailed better in the last few races, but it was not enough for the title. Mauritius regretted having started the racing in bad form on the first day. "We lacked a bit of calmness and focus in the beginning. I sailed with a new crew.  Sailing as a team is very important and we learned fast.  All who were with me here are excellent," said the current J/24 World Champion.  Santa Cruz said his team was Andre "Cheek" Fonseca, Marcos Grael, Georgia Roberts and Frederick Sidou.



Finishing third not too far off the pace from the two leaders, Rossi and Santa Cruz, was Uruguayan Diego Garcia, finishing with 26 points.



After the bad weather during the week, forcing cancellation of racing on Thursday, conditions were favorable for good sailing the last few days. The wind in Guaíba was east, with an average wind speed of 12 knots.  This meant everyone was fast, so you had to sail nearly perfectly to maintain lanes and get the right wind shifts.



Captain of the Brazilian J/24 Class, Cláudio Ruschel said he was pleasantly surprised with the fleet turnout-- "We have a promising future", he says. Ruschel was fifth in this year's J/24 South American Championship.



The J/24 South Americans sailed nine races from Wednesday until Saturday with a total participation of fourteen boats from Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Uruguay. The 2010 edition will be held from 15 to 20 November in La Punta, Callao, Lima, Peru.    For regatta, sailing, information.

J/24 East Coast Championships

Old Man of the Sea Tony Parker Wins
(Annapolis, MD- Oct. 30-Nov 1)- Severn Sailing Association hosted the J/24 East Coast Championships in a wide variety of sailing conditions for a strong turnout of thirty-four J/24s.  The indomitable and redoubtable Tony Parker shows that he's still got it after sixty+ years of sailing and racing in venues all over the world.  Showing the young bucks how it's done, Tony rattled off two bullets, a second and third to win by five points over Ted Bartlewski in second and Mike Ingham in third. 

Read more about the sailing, the regatta and the sailors here.

Go Sailing at New York's CITY SAIL Sailing School!

CitySail is a learn-to-sail organization that introduces city youth to the sport of sailing every day.  There are inumerable examples around the world.  Nevertheless, here is a heartwarming story that we felt should be shared with the J/Communithy:  "Simone is 15 and too old and too cool to be bothered with all the boys seeking her attention (pictured at right).  She won’t come to our after school center because she feels like she is too old for that stuff.  But she’s just the right age to sail.  This summer her mom signed her up for City Sail and she reluctantly came to the first class.  We were teaching nautical terminology to all the kids.  Simone was one of the quickest kids in the class.  Later that week when for the first time in her life she stepped on to a sailboat, she feigned indifference.  But once a boat leaves the dock, all the fronting stops.  Kids either beg to go up on the bow and get rocked by the waves for the sheer joy of it, or they hang on for dear life.  Simone was one of the former.  All the layers of smug superiority melted off her face as the wind and the waves pulled the laughter and surprise out of her.  By the middle of the summer I was trusting Simone with the tiller in an 18 knot wind.  On one such occasion I leaned over and asked her how many of her friends at school had ever sailed in such a wind.  She smiled the smile of someone who has just realized their own achievement and said, “NONE!”

She wasn’t quite right.  Over the last five years we’ve taken out over 100 Jersey City school children.  This is a huge privilege for us.  Although the kids live within a mile of some of the most exciting visually stimulating sailing around, they literally never get out on the water.  They might as well live 1000 miles from the water for as much as they are able to enjoy it - until City Sail.  "Without City Sail I'd never have learned to sail," says Derrik age 14.  Dozens of children entered our free sailing school and competed for points through three
levels of seamanship.  Our top point scorers this year were invited to apprentice for a week on a working 80 foot schooner.  Next year we would like to make this opportunity available to even more kids.  We are looking  to add a J/24 to our fleet.  Anyone interested in helping us can contact us at citysail@gmail.com.  All contributions or boat donations are fully tax exempt.

J/24 Europeans Start Sailing in Stormy Weather

(Bay of Souda, Crete, Greece)-  With twenty eight entrants from all over Europe, racing started on Tuesday for the J/24 Europeans.  Competitors came from six different European countries, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Hungary, United Kingdom and Greece.

The first day of racing had three races completed in difficult weather conditions. Despite the changeable winds, the crew of the HELLENIC POLICE (be careful with them!) with skipper Alexandros Tagaropoulos managed to finish first in the first race of the day with good sailing choices and very good boat speed.  The German boat GUNNI, with Matthias Garzmann on the helm won the second race and the English boat RELOADED with Gavin Watson and his crew, won the last race of the day.

On Wednesday, the crews didn’t manage to finish even one race because of the lack of wind and the very strong rain. The Race Committee tried to start a race but the big wind change made the accomplishment impossible. Then the rain started again.  For the evening the Organizing Committee honored its Sponsors with a Party in the restaurant-bar "Cozmo", at the old port of Chania.

More news on the race, the party, the venue and the incredible Greek hospitality later.  For complete sailing results and regatta information: http://www.j24euro2009.iox.gr/

J/24 Northeast Regional Championships

To the Winner Goes the Spoils
(Marblehead, MA- Sept 26-27)-  SPOILSPORT, skippered by Stuart Challoner, bested 16 other boats to win the 2009 J-24 Northeast Regional Championship hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club and J24 Fleet 28 of Marblehead, Massachusetts. 

On the first day, strong northwest winds of 18 to 25 knots and choppy seas provided for challenging and fun conditions for a talented group of racers.  Three races were held on Saturday with 1.2 mile windward/leeward legs.  The first two races were four leg races with downwind finishes and the final race was a five leg race with an upwind finish.  SPOILSPORT dominated the day with two seconds and a first.  Wind shifts and current were very difficult to see on the water but obviously these folks saw something and made the upper right of the course work every time.  Other notable competitors were Mike Ingham sailing a new Italian boat who finished the day with two firsts and a sixth and Will Welles sailing PARALOC who finished third on the day. 

On Sunday, the fleet saw completely different conditions with a southwest wind of 6 to 12 knots with flat seas.  Two five leg races were run in slightly shifty conditions from a west southwest breeze to a southerly sea breeze.  Will Welles and team won the day impressively with a first and a third.  In the second race they were over early and banged the left corner and perfectly picked up a 15 degree left shift to get back into the race.  SPOILSPORT however sailed very conservatively, making sure to keep close to their competition, and posted a fourth and a second place to win the regatta.

The team of AL, skippered by Carter White and Mark Klein, having not place exceptionally well after the first day, dug themselves out of the cellar by posting a fifth and a first to finish fourth overall.  Mike Ingham and team dropped to third after getting caught out to the right one too many times on Sunday.

J/24 Nationals Go Big on the Bay

Snow's BOGUS Takes the Big Show
(San Francisco- Sept. 26-27)- Chris Snow and his team onboard BOGUS from San Diego, CA dominated the three day J/24 U.S. Nationals held last weekend on San Francisco Bay. Snow and his crew of Andrew Kerr, Adam Bennet, Chuck Allen and John Fracisco won 6 of 9 races amid the 20 boat fleet to build a final winning margin of 21 points over Mark Hillman of Annapolis, MD, with Pat Toole from Santa Barbara, CA in third.  The winner of the Western Regionals, Keith Whittemore, sailed a very consistent series other than having to eat two 11ths, which damaged his chances for a top three finish.
For more info:  http://www.sfyc.org/files/09j24results.pdf

J/24 Western Regionals

Whittemore's TUNDRA ROSE Wins!
(Berkeley, CA- Sept. 19-20)- The 2009 J/24 Western Regional Championship was held on the waters of San Francisco Bay this last weekend. It was hosted by the Berkeley Yacht Club ,who delivered great racing and exceptional hospitality! As we know, the Bay Area is considered one of the most popular sailing venues in the country and once again proved that that premise is true.
BYC held a practice race on the evening of Friday, which allowed the out-of-town teams to get oriented to the local conditions prior to the Western Regionals kicking-off.

The Western Regional Championship was planned as the "feeder" event for the J/24 US National Championships being held this weekend at San Francisco Yacht Club.  The Western Regionals were comprised of seven relatively short course races which were sailed by seventeen teams from as far away as Annapolis, MD, Seattle, Washington and Dana Point.  The racing took place on the “Berkeley Circle” and the PRO was Jeff Zarwell of RegattaPro. Conditions on Saturday went from eight to sixteen knots and on Sunday the wind range was even greater. The fleet raced in five  knots in the first race and ended up racing in twenty-two  knots in the seventh race of the series.

Keith Whittemore sailing his TUNDRA ROSE from Seattle bested Mark Hillman aboard his J/24 WIP from Annapolis, MD. The racing was very close and competitive as TUNDRA ROSE, SMALL FLYING PATIO FURNITURE and TREMENDOUS SLOUCH all nailed bullets (first places)! TUNDRA ROSE themselves knocked off four bullets, Tremendous Slouch two and Small Flying Patio Furniture took the last one.  Look for these three teams to again have a good showing this coming weekend for the J/24 US Nationals.