The J/24 Class turns 30 this year and Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, FL served host for the first reunion event - the 30th Annual J/24 Midwinter Regatta, presented by Yale Cordage. 42 teams representing the top J/24 sailors in North and South America participated in the tough 11 race, no throw-out series, with brothers Waldek and Chris Zaleski (Noroton, CT) aboard TWINS emerging as the winner. This is the Zaleski’s 6th J/24 regatta victory in a row starting with the 2007 Nationals. The TWINS team also features Randy Perkins,Yahoo Glinski and Maciek Kosciuczuk.It wasn’t easy. Conditions were shifty and alternatively breezy and light. In the windy 11th race, the Zaleski’s tore their spinnaker while in 2nd place and somehow managed to hang on during the last run, sailing wing-on-wing with genoa to cross the finish line in 12th … only 2 cumulative points ahead of regatta runner-up Mark Hillman of Annapolis, who took 2nd in the same race. Both teams won qualifying berths for the 2009 J/24 Worlds which will be held in Annapolis, MD.
Class veteran Tony Parker of Annapolis, FL sailed his 31 year old BANGOR PACKET to an impressive 3rd, followed by Stuart Challoner of New Jersey on SPOILSPORT. The class now sets its sites on the upcoming National Championship in Staten Island, NY (May 15-18) and the 30th North Americans in Lake Minnetonka, MN (Sept 8-12). Midwinters Results
