(Marion, MA)- Will Welles, of Portsmouth, RI, led his COUGAR team to the
J/24 US National Championship, hosted by Beverly Yacht Club in
Massachusetts. With Alex Bishop, Luke Lawrence, Eric Lawrence and Nick
Turney on board, Welles managed six first-place tallies in the 10 races
for just 27 net points. He overcame a penalty in race eight, and ended
with a scorecard of 1,11,4,6,1,1,1,[19/(30%)],1,1. Cougar finished 12
points ahead of second-place John Mollicone on HELLY HANSEN, while
Michael Marshall’s PIPE DREAM took third overall with 45 points.
Welles
commended his last-minute crew, including Eric Lawrence who was
trimming the genoa for the first time ever on a J/24. “It was remarkable
that he stepped up to the plate,” said Welles. “It was a huge part of
our success.” The other key, he explained, was working to get the mast
butt positioned just right. “Early on in the regatta, we were a little
late to push it forward. The mast we have is pretty bendy so we have to
be aggressive with the mast butt.” After moving it forward quite a bit
after Saturday’s first race, Cougar found that extra gear.After the first day’s racing on Friday, a familiar name was at the top of the leaderboard. Mollicone’s HELLY HANSEN held a four-point lead over Welles’ COUGAR. Another four points back in third was Sumio Shimoyama of Japan with Mark Hillman on SOKOKUMARU. Mollicone is the current J/24 Midwinter Champion (he also won in 2013), crewed on the 2013 J/24 World Championship team, and won both the 2012 and 2013 J/24 North American Championships.
Forty-five
teams were competing in Marion, including entrants from various parts
of the United States, along with several Canadian crews and even
representatives from Japan, France and Australia. Welles got the regatta
going with a win in race one, when winds were 6-8 knots. Mike Ingham’s
NAUTALYTIC followed in second, and Travis Odenbach’s HONEY BADGER in
third. The breeze picked up a bit to 8-10 knots in the next contest, as
Aidan Glackin’s MENTAL FLOSS grabbed the victory. Natalie Penner’s
GIGGLES and John Wilsey’s PANCETA DOBLE completed the top trio. In the
day’s final battle, the Shimoyama/Hillman team placed first, ahead of
Mollicone and Wilsey. Leading the six-boat Women’s Division was Penner
on GIGGLES and her crew from Austin, Texas.The second day of racing on Saturday enabled the race committee to run four races! At this point, Welles launched into first place. In pristine conditions, Welles began Saturday with a sixth-place finish, and then won the next three races. Tossing an 11 in race two, Welles now totaled 14 points, heading into the final day of competition. Marshall’s PIPE DREAM also notched a stellar day with a 3,2,3,3, and moved into second place overall with 22 points. Mollicone’s HELLY HANSEN was five points back in third place.
Winds
around 16 knots greeted competitors on the sunny Saturday morning, when
Ingham’s NAUTALYTIC acquired the day’s first win. Mollicone trailed in
second, and Marshall in third. Welles grabbed his first of three
consecutive bullets in the next bout, as Marshall and Ingham completed
the upper three. Following Welles in the day’s third race, in winds
ranging between 12-16 knots, was Thomas Barbeau’s NAVTECH.CA and
Marshall. The familiar trio of Welles, Ingham and Marshall again led
Saturday’s final battle. Continuing atop the six-boat Women’s Division
was Penner’s GIGGLES.Sunday dawned with another beautiful day in Marion. With winds between 12-14 knots, Mollicone earned the win in Sunday’s initial duel, as Tony Parker’s BANGOR PACKET and Marshall filled out the top spots. Welles put up another bullet in the next race, when winds stabilized at 10-12 knots. Ingham tracked in second and Parker in third. In the last battle of the Championship, Welles locked in the title with a first, with Pat Toole and Ingham behind.
Behind the top three overall (Welles, Mollicone and Marshall) were Ingham in fourth and Travis Odenbach’s HONEY BADGER in fifth. Winner of the Women’s Division was Penner’s GIGGLES gang from Austin, TX. For more USA J/24 Nationals sailing information
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