Sounds inviting, does it not?! Well, a dozen J/105s will be calling Lakewood YC home for the March 7th to 9th weekend for their annual J/105 Midwinter Championship. Sailing on the waters of Galveston Bay, the J/105 teams will continually be challenged by its renown square “chop”, benign weather with mild sea-breezes or ferocious cold fronts that whistle in from the Northwest right off the Rocky Mountains, roaring across the Prairies, leaving everyone chilled to the bone even as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. No question, the fleet is hoping classic spring conditions kick-in on the Bay and glorious evening campfires around the pool are the order of the day.
According to Event Chairman Bill Lakenmacher, the J/105 Midwinters will be blessed with “shirt-sleeve weather and big winds”. For those who have endured the cold winter to the North, anything above freezing temperatures will be considered “shorts & shades” weather!
The fleet will have a strong representation from the Gulf of Mexico region, including teams from Corpus Christi, Dallas/ Ft Worth and, of course, the local hosts in Houston. Notable teams include Matt Arno’s BLUE FLASH, Uzi Ozeri’s INFINITY, JB Bednar’s STINGER, Bill Lackenmacher’s RADIANCE, and Mark Masur’s well-traveled TWO FEATHERS.
Perhaps one of the “guest stars” may be Royal Canadian YC’s Terry McLaughlin from Toronto, Ontario sailing on a local chartered boat called AVICI. McLaughlin’s friends from Royal Canadian YC will be the hosts of the 2014 J/105 North Americans on Lake Ontario. For more J/105 Midwinters sailing information