2016 J/24 North American Championship
December 11, 2015
VIGNE SURRAU Sardinia J/24 Series Champion
December 6, 2015
The Circolo Nautico Oristano of Cagliari hosted the third and final event of the Sardinian Fall Series in the waters of Torregrande. Partnered with them to run the regatta for the 14 teams on the water was the ASD Windsurfing Club Cagliari. The crews met challenging conditions all weekend, with the first day producing 20-25 knot mistral winds with gusts to 30 knots, and the second day dishing out 10-15 knot winds and huge seas, making steering very difficult upwind. Clinching the regatta and the overall victory for the series was ITA 405 VIGNE SURRAU from Club Nautico Arzachena, owned by Aurelio Bini and skippered by the Cagliaran- Enrico Strazzera. They finished with 11 points followed by ITA 401 DOLPHINS (led by Andrea Mariani and Eugenio Basciu- 26 points) in second, and ITA 431 LEGA NAVALE CARLOFORTER (helmed by David Gorgerino- 33 points) in third position. Rounding out the top five were ITA 443 ARIA (skippered by Marco Frulio from LNI Olbia) in fourth and ITA 420 LIBYSSONIS (CV Windsurfing Club Cagliari owned by Daniele Bigozzi and skippered by Antonello Ciabatti) in fifth place (their finishes were determined by a tie-breaker on 35 points each). “With the conclusion of the third stage, you can tell that the boat to beat was VIGNE SURRAU, especially with local knowledge skipper Aurelio Bini getting them to the right places on the race course,” said Marco Flurio. “The fight really was for second place, since Bini’s team was in a league of their own. DOLPHINS sailed strongly, but only beat their friends on AIR by three points! It was fun sailing and a nice conclusion to another Sardinian fall J/24 series!” The Sardinian J/24 fleet starts their winter series on January 17 in the waters of Oristano, at the marina Torregrande. For more Italian J/24 fleet sailing information, visit http://www.j24.it/web/.
Uruguay is the New South American Champion
December 2, 2015
The Brazilian neighbors were the best at the J/24 South American Championship in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The Continental title was won by the Extasis Sailing Team from Uruguay, Punta del Este, with Pedro Garra (the famous Peter Claw!) at the helm. In second place was Worknet, the Argentinians from Olivos, with Nicolas Cumbria at the helm; and in third place, the Brazilians from Veleiros do Sul Yacht Club, C’est la Vie Sailing team, with Henrique Dias at the helm. The Championship had seven races among 12 South American boats, where the winner was appointed only after the last race with an amazing duel between the Extasis and Worknet teams. Nevertheless, the Uruguayan crew formed by Pedro Garra, Juan Real de Azúa, Ivan Guicheff, Alejandro Carluccio and Matias Garcia confirmed their winning streak, which began by wining the Brazilian J/24 Championship during the same week in Porto Alegre. “This was our first J/24 South American title, after participating in this event for three consecutive years. The Championship was fantastic with amazing regattas and lots of wind. Our opponents, some of them new to us like Nicolas Cumbria, sailed very well, and we knew that would be a hard Championship to win,” said Garra, 46, also winner of the Buenos Aires Sailing Week with the J/70 Class. The Championship also had the participation of veteran helmsman Boris Ostergren, 77, who won the seventh race with Nicolas Muller, 14, as a crew member, finishing in fifth place overall.
Olcese Leading J/24 Copa LEXUS Regatta
November 25, 2015
Leading up to the Peruvian J/24 Nationals are a series of regattas off Peru’s Pacific coast. The most recent was the Copa LEXUS held off Chorrillos on the second weekend of November. An excellent turnout was anticipated, and the fleet of eight boats was quite competitive. One of Peru’s top sailors, Luis Olcese, was crowned the victor after posting straight bullets on SCARAMOUCH. Behind his team, it was a fight for the next few places, all finishing within one point of each other. Taking second was Javier Arribas’ WAYRA with a 5-2-2 record for 9 points. Lucas Peshiera’s crew on TIAMAT tallied 4-3-3 for 10 points for third position on the podium. Rounding out the top five were Rafael Verand’s NAMOYOC in fourth place and Javier Arribas’ HAWKY in fifth. For more Peruvian J/24 sailing information, visit http://www.j24peru.org/web/.
TRES DOLORES Leading Mexico J/24 Circuit
November 17, 2015
Over the past few months, the Mexican J/24 Class has seen a fleet of 35 boats participating in its season long championship series. To date, they have sailed two regattas at Club Nautico Valle de Bravo (Regata Mensual in August, Regata de Independencia in September), one regatta at Club Nautico Avandaro (Oktoberfest in October) and just this past weekend at Club Marina Azul (XXI Scotiabank Marina Azul Regatta). After the four events, it is Jorge Murrieta’s TRES DOLORES leading the series with 56 points total with an overall record of a 2-6-1-3. Sitting in second place is Ken Porter’s COMEX with 67 points total with regatta finishes of 3-1-35-1. Third in the overall standings is Valerio Parboni sailing BOTEYON with 71 points with an overall record of 4-4-35-2. All races count in the fleets overall standings. OKTOBERFEST Report: For the top three boats on the podium, it was very tight racing throughout the weekend with the results of the last race determining the ultimate outcome for the regatta. By winning the last race, Murrieta’s TRES DOLORES sailed home as Oktoberfest champion with a five-race tally of 1-4-2-2-1 for 10 points. Only one point back with an easy shot at winning the regatta was Jorge Castillo’s CASPIAN. However, their regatta lead scoreline of 3-3-1-1 was not enough to win when they notched a third in the last race; having to settle for the silver overall. Taking third was Roberto Himmelbauer’s crew on PRIMERO with a 4-1-4-3-2 scoreline for 14 points. COPA SCOTIABANK Report: With the return of Ken Porter’s COMEX team for the Scotiabank Regatta, the amplification of high-level competition was self-evident in the outcome of the regatta. Starting out with a first place where he left off in the Oktoberfest event, Murrieta’s TRES DOLORES team found it hard to regain that same gear advantage they had over the other teams. Instead, while Porter’s COMEX crew suffered a DNS in the first race, they were firing on all cylinders for the rest of the weekend and scored a 1-1-2-1 to win with just 5 points net. Sailing an extremely consistent series was Tito Benitez’s team on LOS PEKAS, never finishing less than second to secure a 2-2-2-1-2 record for second overall. Third was Murrieta’s TRES DOLORES, having added a 3-5-4-3 to their tally to secure the bronze.
J/24 Hungarian Championship
November 7, 2015
For this year’s Hungarian J/24 Championship, the weather was great because the wind was blowing for most of the regatta. Thanks for the report from Erik Hercsik: “The onshore program is superb. We organized events for everyone because the sailors can be tired in the evenings. On Thursday, after three terribly tiring races, I arrived onshore and the Veszprém Taste restaurant team, led by Philip Laci (a great cordon-bleu chef), served a fabulous dinner under the tent! On Friday, because of the strong onshore wind, we waited all day. As a result, after a ‘sightseeing day,’ the J/24 sailors all ended up at the Koczor Cellar restaurant/pub in the late afternoon. There, by the Balaton YC invitation, was a fantastic dinner waiting for the competitors! The Koczor Cellar (Koczor Kalman, Dora and friends) served up in their beautiful and elegant hall some great wines and a four-course gala dinner! On Saturday, there were three more races. Fierce sailing, plenty of it with over 20 knots of breeze, a ‘fat-burning’ wind, humans torn & broken (figuratively, of course). It was Neanderthal manly-man conditions! Womanly-warriors on the loose! And, here there was a continuous evolution of the J/24 Class. Amazing since 1977, nearly 40 years on our lake! The fleet was roughly divided into three groups. All three groups had enjoyable battles, everyone found his opponent with whom he fought a battle against flesh & blood, ultimately to be settled with a beer or glass of wine later. With winds of 20+ knots, the most naturally competent crews rose to the top. It was beautiful! In the evening dinner program, there was enough food and drink to satisfy the most adventurous and the most calm of souls. Then Sunday (big surprise), the wind did not want to conform to the weather forecast correctly, the worst of all protagonists! Just one race, that is what everyone wished. So, that ended the seven races of the championship. Eighteen boats, 98 sailors. That’s huge! Great racing, a great host, excellent party parties, beautiful event t-shirts, beautiful prizes and special prizes.” It was Nicholas Rauschenberger’s JUKEBOX team that won. His crew included Peter Thomas, James Paladin, Ákos Pécsváradi and Thomas Richter. Second was team ZULU with Matthew Cock as skipper with crew of Thomas Jager, Andrew Mustachio, Matyas Molnar and Erika Nemeth. Third was Team DJANGO with Erik Hercsik, Peter Csaba and others. Fourth was NORD TELEKOM sailed by Gabor Makai, Krauth Balazs, Aaron Serke, Csaba Lokodi & Szalay Tamas. Finally, in fifth place was EUPHEMY (Thomas Madarász, Stephen Illy, Viola Baumann, Alexandra Weaver Mihály Filó). For more Hungary J/24 news, visit http://www.j24.hu/.
J/24 Anzio-Nettuno Winter Series Update
DJKE, the boat sailed by the Polizia Penitenziaria team has now taken the lead over the third weekend of the Anzio-Nettuno Winter Series. Despite the wind’s constant shifts in direction and intensity that has tested the Race Committee (chaired by Mario de Grenet), the 27 crews sailing the 41st Winter Championship of Anzio-Nettuno managed to complete more good racing in 8-10 knot winds. Sailing to very consistent finishes (2-2-2) was DJKE’s skipper Fabio Delicate with crew of Marco Vincenti, Joseph Incatasciato, Roberto Comodi Ballanti and Francesco Maglioccola. Taking second for the weekend with a 5-4-1 was PELLA NERA from Nettuno YC skippered by Soling World Champion Farkas Litkey from Hungary for boat owner Paolo Cecamore. Third for the weekend was JULIUS CAESAR sailed by Pietro Massimo Meriggi with a 4-10-3 record. The early regatta series leader, Ignazio Bonanno with crew of Simone Scontrino, Alfredo Branciforte, Francesco Picaro and Vincenzo Vano on their famous LA SUPERBA slipped from first to seventh due to a 1-1-BFD tally. Said leading skipper Delicate, “Ours is a veteran group, together since 1994 (although Francesco and Roberto were added later), well knit both on the water and on land. The results of this weekend are rewards for our commitment and determination to do well. While we had not sailed for six months, we managed to get some training sessions in before this regatta. We are participating with great enthusiasm in this winter circuit and enjoy the competition against LA SUPERBA and DJKE with Hungarian Champion sailor Farkas Litkey on board.” The J/24 Anzio-Nettuno Winter Series of 2015-16 is well organized by the Committee of the CV Roma and Royal Rowing Club Tevere Remo. Racing continues on Sundays 15 & 29 November, 13 December, 17 & 31 January, 14 & 28 February, and 13 March. On each weekend, the teams sail at least two races, the third is at the discretion of the PRO. For more J/24 Anzio-Nettuno Winter Series sailing information, click here.
Karsunke Declared Swedish J/24 Open Champion
This year’s J/24 Swedish Open 2015 was held by Malmö Segelsällskap (MSS) from October 23-25. Racing took place SSW of Malmo, in the vicinity of the famous Öresund Bridge. The area outside Malmo is regarded as a very challenging race course concerning wind, waves and, of course, the current. After a six-race series, the top German J/24 team, Stefan Karsunke from the Blankeneser Segel-Club won the regatta by virtue of a tie-breaker over host Per-Hakan Persson from MSS. Both teams had 8 points net, but Karsunke’s 1-3-2-3-1-1 record beat Persson’s 2-1-1-1-3-5 for the overall “Swedish Open” title. Third was Klaus Walkusch from Sweden with 13 points net. They were followed by two German teams, Fabian Damm with 18 points in fourth and Daniel Frost in fifth. Taking sixth in a borrowed boat was Peter Szabo from Hungary. Here is his story: “I arrived in Malmö, and Per-Håkan’s brother loaned us his boat, helped us launch it and take it to the club next door. Our boat engine mount broke approximately 1 minute after the launch. Oh my God! Bad juju. Fortunately, the motor did not sink with us having to scuba dive after it because it was secured with a rope. Yah, it probably would have been difficult to start after taking a bath in salt water. After the adventurous crossing near the harbor, we went off to Per-Håkan’s home for dinner and much needed sleep. We woke up in the morning to see the weather forecast did not lie to us. West winds of 7-8 Bft. But, the forecast was for it to moderate by afternoon. With a harbor postponement, we spent the morning sightseeing in Malmö. We quickly made many friends! Later, the early evening welcome party with the J/24 teams with BBQ and beer. It was kind of a ‘pot luck’ dinner. Since we have good Hungarian wines, cheese and salami, we offered them as we tell them the Hungarian J/24 class (site of the 2017 European Championship) will be offering gallons of wines and kilograms of delicious cheese & salami. Our offerings of Hungarian delicacies were a great success. Relatively quickly, the party ended, save for a few of us hardy, party-goers. Just a few of the Swedes, Germans and the only Hungarian team! The next morning we went to the skippers’ meeting. Amazing, we find out we are sailing against a very talented fleet for just a dozen boats. Top five boats in the J/24 Worlds. Oh boy. Well, the local winds are from the south (parallel to shore, from 3-4 Bft.) We should be able to manage this OK. However, we had a rough day, including an OCS that we did not correct! After the races, we had Swedish hamburgers, Swedish pea soup, Swedish punch and Swedish sauna—cannot get better than that! Then, an evening dinner at a downtown restaurant. For the final day of sailing, we had a stronger breeze, 4-5 Bft west wind but with the promise of some storms. Unfortunately, the fleet got hit by a storm in the second race, we broached and tore our spinnaker. After three races in challenging conditions, we were happy to go home without more damage. The Swedes were very nice, always insisting that we should be happy that we came from Hungary. Lots of hugging, smiles, supporting us in everything we did. It was a local European Championship for sure, but, we’ll probably be seeing more of them on Lake Balaton. The Germans, especially, are expected to come in force to our lovely lake. We hope to see them all soon!” The Hungarian team that participated in the Swedish J/24 Open included Peter Szabo, Zsolt Baranyai, Attila Soos, Bence Kollányi and Edina Nagy. For more Swedish J/24 Open Championship sailing information, visit http://old.svensksegling.se/j24.
PAGET Trumps J/24 Autumn Cup
The Saltash Sailing Club in Plymouth was pleased to host the 19 boats that competed in this year’s J/24 Autumn Cup. A good increase from 11 boats last year in the growing UK J/24 fleet. The light and frequently changing wind made Saturday’s racing a challenge for the best of tacticians. The three windward-leeward races brought out the best in the competitors with each race having a different winner. Race 1 saw Steve Wassell’s JINERATION X slide past Dave Cooper’s JAWBREAKER on the last run to take the honors. Race 2 saw the wind back 20 degrees, and Dave Moore’s JIFI saw the shift ahead of the fleet to lead into the final leeward mark just for Stig in JELI to see the last shift and pip Dave to the line. Race 3 saw carnage on the start line as the wind shifts continued, with numerous boats doing penalty turns. While everybody sorted themselves out, two boats started the fight for victory. The lead changed hands between Quinton Hall’s JUJU and Steve Wassell’s JINERATION X, with JUJU getting the best of the last run to take Race 3. Race 4 saw the fleet beat to the windward mark and race up the River Tamar to Saltash. Around 12 boats arrived at the top mark within 30 seconds of each other making the run a competitive affair. Dave Cooper’s JAWBREAKER and Darren Stansbury’s new boat PAGET hotly contested the lead, and it was the tactics of JAWBREAKER that won the day. After a discard Day 1, the resulted ended with JAWBREAKER (6 points) leading over JINERATION X (8 points) followed by JELI (9 points) and PAGET (9 points). Day 2 saw two races set in the River Tamar on triangle courses in an increasing breeze. JAWBREAKER and PAGET contested Race 5, with PAGET taking the win from JAWBREAKER in a tight race. The final race saw some challenging conditions as the breeze increased and gusts of over 20 knots caused problems on the tight spinnaker leg. Nick McDonald’s CACOON managed the difficult conditions the best, followed shortly by Carmichael Mackie’s JIGGY, which kept up the tone of the weekend with each race seeing a different winner! The J/24 UKJCA thanks the Race Officers for their diligence in setting the courses in very difficult conditions. The Westerly prize was taken by Dave Moore’s JIFI (the oldest boat in the fleet). In the final analysis, consistency was the key to success and after taking out the discard, PAGET prevailed to take the J/24 Autumn Cup from JAWBREAKER and JINERATION X. Special mention of Parkstone Youth Team who had a great first regatta sailing together. Thanks to David Cooper and the Plymouth team for helping them get on the water with the loan of NITRO. Thanks go to Steve Wassell of JINERATION X for this report. For more UK J/24 Class sailing information, visit http://www.j24class.org.uk/.
New South Wales State Championship
Royal Prince Edward YC hosted this year’s J/24 New South Wales State Championship. The fleet had a fantastic turnout and some amazing racing within sight of the famous Sydney Heads. Chef Paula of the Australian J/24 Class said, “Thank you to the 16 crews who attended, and all the staff and committee and volunteers at Royal Prince Edward YC for making the NSW J/24 State Championships such a great regatta. Two days of good breezy racing kept the fleet happy, and I am sure you will all agree that the Saturday night dinner was a great success and hopefully you all had chance to mingle with other sailors you hadn’t previously spoken with!” First was the duo of Arthur Crothers/Sean Kirkjian on KAOTIC. The balance of the top five was Stephen Girdis on CONVICTS REVENGE in second, John Crawford’s INNAMINCKA in third, Marc & Oloff Tromp & Brendan Lee on WATERBORNE AGAIN in fourth, and David West & Andy Lim sailing ACE taking fifth overall. Top women’s skipper was Janette Syme on WILDFIRE. And the winners of the Handicap Division were Ron Thomson on KICKING in first, the WATERBORNE AGAIN gang in second and Janet’s WILDFIRE in third. For more Australian J/24 Class sailing news, visit http://j24.com.au/.
J/24 Argentina Report
Spring is sweeping across South America, and that means the active J/24 fleet in Argentina are sailing all of their spring championships down along the Rio Plata in Buenos Aires and up in the Andes Mountains in Cordoba. In September, the Buenos Aires fleet held their Grand Prix Internacional de Vela L.A. Cerrato at YC Olivos. The fleet enjoyed a gentle breeze Saturday with two races in winds gusting up to 18 knots and then three races on Sunday in more moderate breezes. The Uruguayan crew led by Pedro Garra from YC Punta del Este sailed EXTASIS to a well-deserved win, winning three of the five races for a total of 5 points. Taking second was Sergio Pendola racing CACIQUE just five points behind the Uruguayans. Third was Sebastian Halpern’s team on MORRUCHO with 11 points. For the mid-October Buenos Aires Week, the fleet sailed on successive Sundays. The first Sunday on the Rio Plata saw a strong southeast wind with steep, short chop that is typical of the river. The PRO managed to run three more races for the series. Then, on the following Sunday, the fleet again enjoyed southeast winds in the 10-12 knots range that permitted the PRO to complete the entire 12 race series. The fight for the lead was extremely close and was defined by the results of the last race. It was a thrilling finale to the Buenos Aires Week championship. Pedro Garra’s EXTASIS team from YC Punta del Este in Uruguay started off the series in third place after the first weekend of sailing. However, in the second weekend, their last six races saw no races scored less than third. As a result, Garra’s EXTASIS won their second major regatta in Argentina with a points total of 24 points for 10 races counted. Sergio Pendola’s CACIQUE took second overall with 26 points. Nicolas Cubria’s WORKNET team won the last race to leap onto the podium in third position with 29 points. Over the October 10-12 weekend, the Club Nautico Cordoba completed the two-weekend event called the Cordoba Spring Championship. The local fleet sails on one of the world’s most beautiful lakes, Lago San Roque, in western Argentina. On Saturday, the fleet had a warm day with northeast winds of 4-12 knots. The CNC clubhouse in Villas Carlos Paz was brimming with activity as the fleet of 18 boats prepared for the final weekend of racing the Spring Championship. In the end, SAMA was declared the overall champion with a record of 3-10-4-2-2 for 11 points net. Second was Jorge Garcia Velazco’s SIROCCO with a scoreline of 13-2-3-4-3 for 12 points net. Third was PICANTE, winning a tie-breaker over CARRER. Fifth was INDIGO, a past winner of the event. Over Halloween weekend, Club Universidad de Buenos Aires (CUBA) held their Tournament Amadeo Alurralde. With a beautiful sunny day and a fresh breeze from the southeast blowing 12-16 knots, the “barco de comite” and its PRO managed to complete enough races to make it a regatta. Winning with straight bullets was Guillermo Belinotto’s CARRERA crew from CUBA with 3 points total. Taking second was Sergio Pendola’s CACIQUE with a 3-2-2 for 7 points. Only one point back in third position on the podium was Alejandro Rossi’s SHARK with a 2-3-3 for 8 points total. Rounding out the top five was Javier Donzelli’s MENDIETA in fourth with 12 points, and Diego Cervi’s SEX SYMBOL in fifth with 15 points. For more Argentina J/24 sailing information, visit http://j24arg.blogspot.com/.
Diamante Wins Italian J/24 National Circuit
October 24, 2015
With three victories over four races, Pietro Diamante and his team on JAMAICA (Joseph Garofalo, Fabrizio Ginesi and Gabriele Zoppi) won the sixth and final stage of the J/24 National Championship and also took home the Trophy Francesco Ciccolo Perpetual Challenge. In second place was J-OC owner/skipper Fabio Apollonio Trieste, Fleet Captain of the Lago di Garda J/24 fleet. Third was KERMESSE sailed by Marco Maccaferri from CN Cervia Amici della Vela. Four races were completed in the waters off Cervia by a dozen brave crews, regardless of adverse weather and sea conditions. “This time, due to work commitments, I had a different crew,” commented Diamante, President of the Italian J/24 Class. “On Saturday, we had a moment of concern when, because of the light wind, we were able to sail only one race. Nevertheless, during the evening, friends of mine in Cervia consoled us with an excellent dinner of fried fish and piadina. On Sunday, a light but steady wind allowed us to complete three perfect races. On behalf of the other teams, I would say that, thanks to the organization, hospitality and beautiful weather over the two days, we are all doing great!” Added the Captain of the Romagna J/24 fleet, Guido Gains, “Despite the little wind, we managed to bring it home with four good races. A special thanks to the organizers and RC/PRO, as always, to organize everything perfection both on land and at sea!” The Italian J/24 National Circuit includes the Trofeo Nettuno in March, the Pasquavela in Porto Santo Stefano, the Trofeo Navale Academia in April, the Trofeo Nacional in Cala Galera in June, the Trofeo Menchelli in October, and the Trofeo Francesco Ciccolo in late October. For more Italian J/24 class sailing information, visit http://www.j24.it/web/.
LA SUPERBA Commands J/24 Winter Championship
The 40th Winter Championship of Anzio-Nettuno taking place on the waters of the Golfo de Anzio had an excellent turnout of 27 boats from around the region. After a pair of victories, it was LA SUPERBA leading with skipper Ignazio Bonanno and crew of Simone, Alfredo Branciforte, Francesco Picaro and Vincenzo Picaro. In second with two seconds was the Grupo Sportivo Penitentiary Police team skippered by Fabio Delicate with crew of Marco Vincenti, Joseph Incatasciato, Roberto Ballanti and Francesco Maglioccola. Lying in third with a 6-4 was PELE NEGRO skippered by Paul Cecamore. “The regatta opened with light winds around 5 knots. As we expected, the regatta was immediately characterized by the battle with our friends on the Penitentiary Police boat and ourselves. Thanks to a wind shift and increased pressure on the left, they rounded the first mark in first followed by us,” explained Bonanno. “About a half-leg later, however, we took the lead and won the race. Then in the second race, we were first around all the buoys and we were in command until the end.” Added tactician Marco Vincenti on the Penitentiary Police team, “Two races with two second places. That’s not bad! The races were held with a southerly that was shifty and streaky. Choppy waves and different shifts of 8-10 knots meant the crew had to work hard and make the right choices to do well. The best part of the weekend was that it did not rain and we had nice warm temperatures—almost like summer.” For more Italian J/24 Winter Series sailing information, visit http://www.cvroma.com/.
Sardinian J/24 Circuit-Stage III
After the long summer break, sailing resumed for the Sardinian J/24 fleet. After steady sailing, VIGNE SURRAU from CN Arzachena and their skipper Henry Strazzera have taken the lead in the provisional rankings by posting a 3-2 in the long races. Following them in Stage III of the Sardinian Circuit is LNI CARLISLE owned and skippered by David Gorgerino with members of the Carloforte Sailing Team on board; they’re three points back with a 4-4. Holding on to the third position with an 8-1 score is DODICIPUNTOUNO helmed by Gianluca Manca. Rounding out the top five are LIBYSSONIS with skipper Daniel Bigozzi and in fourth is DOLPHINS led by Giuseppe Taras. “After waiting for a long time for the wind, the J/24 fleet had to settle for a breeze of 5-6 knots to kick off the first race, and the rest of the day did not go beyond the 7-8 kts. If you got behind early, the possibility of recovery for those who had a bad start was very difficult. In the end, the Committee chose to give up on the third race. It was a little bit of disappointment, but it was the right choice,” said Henry Strazzera. The fleet was sailing on the sea off the beach of Poetto, near the marina called Marina Piccola. The J/24s will be back at sea for their Regional Championship on November 14-15. For more Italian J/24 class sailing information, visit http://www.j24.it/web/.
JAMAICA Victorious in Trofeo Nino Menchelli
October 18, 2015
Despite the adverse weather and after having completed six races, the JAMAICA team skippered by Pietro Diamanti from CNMC Club won the coveted Trofeo Nino Menchelli in a fleet of 16 J/24s. His crew consisted of Gianluca Caridi, Joseph Garofalo, Paul Ginesi and Fabrizio Ginesi. “This event was blessed with good fortune as the storm that has shocked the French Riviera has blown away from Marina di Carrara overnight Sunday,” said the President of the Italian J/24 Class, Pietro Diamanti. “As a result, we were able to have six beautiful races and a good party of sailors during dinner on the terrace of the Yacht Club.” Taking second place was DIKE-BLUE FLAMES skippered by Fabio Delicate with crew of tactician Marco Vincenti, Joseph Incatasciato, the pitman Francis Maglioccola and the bowman Roberto Ballant. While they won the last three races, it was not enough to win the regatta. J-OC’s skipper Fabio Apollonio from Trieste placed third. The rest of the top five included Luca Macchiarini’s TALLY-HO in fourth and Riccardo Marini’s SEI UNIKA in fifth place. For more Italian J/24 sailing information, visit http://www.j24.it/web/.