(Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)- The International J/24 Class Association
and the Port Credit Yacht Club of Mississauga will be hosting the 2016
North Americans and, in 2017, the World Championship for the J/24 Class.
The J/24 is an international One-Design keelboat class and the most
popular racing keelboat in the world, with over 5,480 boats being sailed
in 165 fleets and 110 countries!With so many sailors crossing the decks of J/24s every year, around the world, the focus is ALWAYS on FUN!! So, how does the J/24 NA’s start? With a social event, of course!
How about a Thursday night BBQ for the crews, with a little jammin’ music while you’re gearing up for day one of racing!? Then, relax after Friday racing with a sumptuous dinner right at Port Credit YC, with band “Soul Funkshun” (a 9-piece band with four horns and five vocalists) playing from 6:30 to 10:30 pm- thanks to sponsors DriveHG.CA and Weir Foulds LLP. Then, Saturday night everyone heads to the “Crooked Cue” so sailors can enjoy a game of “8 Ball” in a fun atmosphere, with great food provided in a private room upstairs. The Crooked Cue (craft beers!) is located right in the middle of “Port Credit’s Jazz Festival”, which will be in full gear on Saturday night! Sunday afternoon will fortify sailors with an early pizza dinner and celebrations before they hit the road back home with their hard-won hardware.
So, here is textbook example of how to organize a regatta. Social schedule first. Then, make sure the PCYC RC/PRO crew are on schedule to make sure those somewhat “foggy” sailors are ready to go racing each day, promptly on schedule at 1030 hrs!
Who’s
going?? Just about a “who’s who” of J/24 sailors in North America and
South America! The Americans include Robby Brown’s ANGEL OF HARLEM from
Davis Island YC in St Petersburg, FL; Will Welles’ COUGAR from Mount
Desert Island Cruising & Sailing Club in Southwest Harbor, Maine;
Natalie Harden’s women’s crew on GIGGLES from Austin YC in Austin, TX;
Travis Odenbach’s infamous HONEY BADGER from Webstah, NY; Aidan
Glackin’s MENTAL FLOSS from Lloyd Harbor YC; Jim Freedman’s MISS CONDUCT
from DALLAS Corinthian YC in Ft Worth, Texas; Erica Beck Spencer’s
gorgeous women crew on SEA BAGS WOMEN’S SAILING TEAM from Portland YC;
Todd Fedysyzn’s SPOONY TACTICS from Davis Island YC in St Petersburg,
Florida; and Chris Stone’s VELOCIDAD from Atlantic Highlands YC in
Middletown, NJ!Canadians that are expecting to put the “big hurt” on their “south of the border neighbors” include the likes of Rossi Milev’s CLEAR AIR from Port Credit YC; Matt Kenny’s CLUSTER from Royal Canadian YC; Ted Bartlewski’s DRIVERS WANTED from Port Credit YC; Evan Petley-Jones’s LIFTED from Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron from Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Katie Coleman Nicoll’s QUICK NICK from Port Credit YC.
The long-distance award easily goes to the two Argentinean teams- Sergio Pendola’s CACIQUE and Santiago Mocorrea’s ZEPHYRUS. Both are familiar with tough international competition and have proven to be up to the task with top ten finishes in past J/24 Worlds! The waters off Port Credit have proven to be great equalizers for all sailors from every point of the compass. For more J/24 North American Championship sailing information
|