(Marblehead, MA) - The three day J/24 U.S. National Championship was hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club, with a very strong fleet of 48 boats competing in eight races. After the seventh race, the teams led by Jens Hookanson on SALSA (2004 World Champion) and Will Welles on FAWN LEIBOWITZ were the only boats to still hold all top ten scores, and fittingly were tied on points with one race to go. But it was Welles who had the hot hand on the final day, rolling a 2-3 to take the title with Hookanson finishing second and Carter White winning the final race to move into third.
A wide range of conditions from 17 knots and waves to 6 knots and flat water provided a perfect playing field for the 48 boats at this years championship. Day one included a 17 knot north easterly breeze with chop and swells, making getting off the line challenging, that diminished to 10 knots by the end of the day. Three long championship length races ranging from 1.7 mile legs to 1.4 mile legs were run. Tim Healy and crew fresh off their win a J/24 Worlds came out strong posting a 1, 3, 3 to post an early lead but just ahead of Jens Hookanson by a point and Will Wells by three points.
On day two the swell and chop calmed down a bit but not completely. A light easterly wind with large oscillations from northeast to east and major pressure differences from the left and right sides of the course provided difficult choices to make upwind and down for the competitors. Jens Hookanson and team on SALSA had the best strategy and amazing speed posting an awesome 1,2,1 to claim the lead after day two.
Day three brought a decent southwest breeze and a bit of lump from the previous two days of easterly type winds. However three quarters into the first race the southwest breeze died and a southeast sea breeze started to build. During the wind shift a few boats got caught in a hole and missed the time limit as TEAM MOOKIE with Pete Levesque had legged out to a convincing and fast win. Will Wells and crew on FAWN LEIBOWITZ were the most consistent on day three posting a 2nd and 3rd to win the regatta by four points.
Final results saw the Welles team eking out a win over Hookanson. Carter White finished third overall, finishing the regatta with a first in the 8th race. Fourth was Levesque and 5th was Mark Hillman. Current J/24 World Champion Tim Healy couldn't maintain their first day's performance, not making sense of the shifty, streaky Marblehead breezes to finish 6th-- fame is fleeting, as they say! For more J/24 US Nationals sailing information. Team sailing photo credit- Leighton O'Connor.
