Saturday, November 2, 2013

J/24 East Coasts Preview

J/24s sailing off Annapolis, MD (Annapolis, MD)- For their second consecutive weekend, the Eastport YC is hosting yet another East Coast Championships on the choppy, muddy waters of the Chesapeake Bay.  This time is the J/24’s turn to experience the superior race management and awesome hospitality of EYC. The thirty-one teams registered will have their hands full with not just with top teams sailing the regatta, but the rough winds forecast for the three-day long event.  With Friday offering near gale storm conditions with 15-25 kts southerly breezes, Saturday providing benign, sunny, lightish WNW winds and Sunday bringing strong 15-20 kt northerlies, the local tacticians will be matching wits with top national talent to bring “home the bacon” (e.g. podium silverware).

J/24s sailing off Annapolis, MD- Chesapeake BayJ/24 Fleet 8 in Annapolis is proud to have the Hillman Focused Advantage Fund (HCMAX) as the title sponsor for the 2013 J/24 East Coast Championship; this year’s partnership will expand on the success of the recently revamped J/24 East Coast Championship making it better than ever. Plus, they will be offering lots of great “swag”.

Who will be top dogs at the end of this shoot-out across the water?  That will be a tough call since so many championship level teams are sailing that have all grabbed their fair share of silverware over time.  Surely one of the top boats will be Mike Ingham’s Rochester, NY gang on USA 5443; but not far off their pace will be Tony Parker’s BANGOR PACKET from Annapolis; Al Constants’s BLITZ from Locust Valley, NY; John Poulson’s St Petersburg, FL team sailing MURDER INC.; Paul van Ravensway’s local Washington, DC team aboard MILLENNIUM FALCON; Pete Kassal’s local Annapolis crew sailing SPACEMAN SPIFF; Robbie Brown’s USA 799 team from St Petersburg, FL; Travis Odenbach’s gang from Rochester, NY sailing the famously infamous HONEY BADGER; and finally an even more incredibly famously infamous team from Newport, RI led by Will Welles and Tim Healy onboard COUGAR.  Finally, the long distance traveler award surely goes to Trevor Boyce from Hamilton, Bermuda, sailing NO SKIRT REQUIRED with a cast of characters that includes well-known photographer Tim Wilkes from Rochester, NY.  For more J/24 East Coast Championship sailing information