(Davis Island YC, Tampa, FL)- There are twenty-six plus J/24 teams
headed down to "The Sailingest Club in the South", Davis Island Yacht
Club in Tampa, Florida, to do battle for honors of J/24 Midwinter
Champion 2012. As the world's largest one-design keelboat class, the
International J/24 routinely develops some of the world's best sailors--
many of whom have won (or are about to win) events like the America's
Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race, Fastnet Races, Transpac Races, and far too
numerous National and World Championships in other one-design classes to
name here. Today, with used J/24s running from $3,000 "garage specials" to fully kitted-out $40,000 ready-to-win racers, there's a "weapon of choice" for anyone from just about any walk of life- from the 1 per centers to the 99 per centers. Some J/24s have "cold taps" installed for casual-to-serious racing in weekday beer-can events to others that have nano-sphere micro-polished hulls and blades where even water molecules fear a close-encounter with such perfection! No matter the expectations or level of playing field one chooses, you're bound to see all types at a J/24 event anywhere in the world-- all having fun!
Amongst the better teams attending the J/24 Midwinters in Tampa are some National and World Champions in the class. Look for Mike Ingham from Rochester, NY, a past World Champion, to be on the leader-board as well as class veteran Tony Parker sailing the famously-named BANGOR PACKET from Annapolis YC, Annapolis, MD. Also factoring amongst the leaders will be John Mollicone sailing 11th HOUR RACING from SailNewport, Newport, RI and Travis Odenbach steering HONEY BADGER from Rochester, NY. Most likely winning the "Long Distance" award already is Ken Johnson, an Englishman hailing from Club Nautico de Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina-- a recent participant in the J/24 Worlds 2011 in Buenos Aires. For more J/24 Midwinters sailing information.
