J24 World Championship Opens With Three Way Tie

23rd October 2019

Afloat.ie Team

Racing at the J24 Worlds in Miami Credit: J24/Facebook

Racing got underway Tuesday in hot and sunny Miami, Florida at the J24 World Championships. The 80 teams, (but none from Ireland despite the rejuvenation of the fleet here) had to wait out a two-hour onshore postponement while the sea breeze kicked in at 8-10 knots. After two races, three teams are tied at 7 points: Rossi Milev's Clear Air (1,6 on the day), Chris Stone's Velocidad (5,2) and Keith Whittemore's Furio (4,3). Eighty teams from 19 nations (Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Great Britain, Grenada, Hungary, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States) are scheduled for 10 races through Saturday.

Milev, 2017 J/24 World Champion and winner of the first contest, summarized his starting strategy, "We started just above the mid-line boat. There were a couple of boats we barely lived with, and then we saw something on the left. It was nice pressure, and more about the wind than the five-degree shift." Milev and Mike Ingham's Nautalytics traded the lead until Clear Air passed them on the second downwind for the victory. Todd Fedyszyn's Spoony Tactics followed in third. Tony Parker's Bangor Packet and Stone were launched on the fleet in race two, when winds decreased slightly. Whittemore placed third, lining up the three-way knot for first.

Top ten after 2 races
1. Rossi Milev / Mark Goodyear / Victor Diaz de Leon / Vince Somosa / Jerry Edwards, CAN, 7.0 points
2. Christopher Stone / Mike Marshall / Pat O'Connor / Billy Parkins / Brian Kamilar, USA, 7.0
3. Keith Whittemore / Shelby Milne / Willem Van Waay / Mark Rodgerd / Brian Thomas, USA, 7.0
4. Mike Ingham / Quin Schwenker / Justin Coplan / Max Holzer / Marianna Schoke, USA, 16.0
5. Tony Parker / William Bomar / James Niblock / Zeke Horowitcz / Ross Deedoff, USA, 17.0
6. Carter White / Molly WHite / Ted Widele / Michael McCallister / Chris Lombardo, USA, 17.0
7. Robby Brown / Mark Liebel / Martin Koleman / Steve Liebel / Ron Hyatt, USA, 19.0
8. Edmond Rees / Rakesh Patel / Paul Chinord / Paul Rees / Daniel Sheedy, USA, 25.0
9. Daniel Frost / Timo Chorrosch / Felix Leupold / Jeronimo Landauer / Daniel Schwarze, USA, 27.0
10. Evan Petley-Jones / Peter Soosalu / Matt Soosalu / Ben Maloney / Shawn Kaiser, USA, 28.0

Full results

Published in J24

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About the J24 keelboat

American Rod Johnstone designed the J/24, a one-design boat, in the mid-1970s.

Since 1977, it has been manufactured and at present, at least 5,500 hulls have been constructed throughout the globe.

The J/24 has significantly contributed to the popularity of competitive sailing, and numerous internationally recognised racing personalities have won international J/24 championships.

This class still thrives and remains a favourite among owners and crews of all levels.