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Thursday
Four points separate the top four boats heading into the final day of the J/24 World Championship hosted by Corpus Christi Yacht Club in Texas USA.
Paul Foerster’s Grand Slam 2 remains atop the leaderboard with 21 points, after posting a 4,7 on Thursday. Mike Marshall’s American Garage and Nobuyuki Imai’s Siesta are tied at 24 points for second and third, respectively. John Mollicone’s New England Ropes is only one point further back with 25 points. Foerster also leads the 27-boat Corinthian division, ahead of Imai’s Siesta and James Freedman’s LOL.
Race 7 started on time with legs of 1.5 nautical miles. Wind speeds were 19-22 knots with peak gusts in the high twenties. Notable BFDs were Marshall’s American Garage, Keith Whittemore’s Furio and Travis Odenbach’s Bogus. Race 8 was also course four at a distance of 1.5 nautical miles. The Black Flag start was all clear. Wind speeds averaged 22 knots with a top gust of 33. Imai’s Siesta gained their first victory of the Championship to kick off the day, while William Fastiggi’s Fawn Liebowitz stayed on a hot streak in second and Mollicone’s New England Ropes placed third. Odenbach’s Bogus rebounded in Thursday’s second race, as did Marshall’s American Garage. Mollicone repeated a third in this contest as well.
Racing concludes Friday with two scheduled races. Thirty-eight boats are representing Argentina, Chile, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Trinidad and the United States.
all images copyright Emily Stokes:https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/?...B0U5nhQSTGzx88
Wednesday
After the first race on Wednesday (Race 5) at the J/24 World Championship hosted by Corpus Christi Yacht Club in Texas USA, Paul Foerster’s Grand Slam 2 and Mike Marshall’s American Garage were tied for the top position. But in Race 6, Foerster nailed a bullet, giving him 10 net points. The discard race has now come into effect, allowing Foerster to drop a 7.
Marshall’s American Garage is in close range with 14 net points for second place. Nobuyuki Imai’s Siesta moved up to third overall with 17 net points. The fourth and fifth spots are still quite tight: John Mollicone’s New England Ropes (19 points) and Keith Whittemore’s Furio (20 points). Foerster also leads the 27-boat Corinthian division, ahead of Imai’s Siesta and James Freedman’s LOL.
The racecourse was reduced Wednesday to four legs but still at 1.45 nautical miles. The Black Flag was out again with an all-clear start for Race 5. Winds were 18-22 knots, gusting to 24. Code flag Yankee was displayed onshore and on signal boat, requiring all competitors to wear life jackets. Race 6 continued under Black Flag at 1.5 nautical miles, with one boat BFD. The breeze held at 18-22 knots as gusts increased to the mid/upper 20s.
Marshall’s American Garage earned his second consecutive victory in the day’s initial contest, with Imai and William Fastiggi’s Fawn Liebowitz rounding out the top three. Foerster’s Grand Slam 2 won the race to the dock, trailed by Fastiggi and Travis Odenbach’s Bogus. .
Tuesday
The standings tightened up on day two of the 2022 J/24 World Championship hosted by Corpus Christi Yacht Club in Texas USA.
Paul Foerster’s Grand Slam 2 added a third consecutive bullet in Race three, but with a seventh in Tuesday’s next scheduled race, finished with 10 points overall. John Mollicone’s New England Ropes dominated the day with a 2,3, moving them into second place with 13 points. The next three positions are separated by only three points: Keith Whittemore’s Furio (15), Mike Marshall’s American Garage (16) and Nobuyuki Imai’s Siesta (17). Foerster also leads the impressive 27-boat Corinthian division, ahead of Imai’s Siesta and James Freedman’s LOL.
Race three began under a Black Flag and was all clear. Winds were blowing 17-19 knots, and most boats had their small jibs up. As with Day 1, the course was five legs at 1.4 nautical miles. Race four also started under a black flag (all clear) with the same course five at 1.4 nautical miles. The breeze picked up to 19-22 knots in choppy waters. Following Foerster in the day’s opening match were Mollicone and Imai. Marshall’s American Garage cracked the top spot in the next race, as Travis Odenbach’s Bogus got in on the action and Mollicone was again in the top three.
Monday
The J/24 Class began in 1978, and in 2022 still attracts nine nations to its World Championship. This year’s edition is hosted by Corpus Christi Yacht Club in Texas USA with 38 boats representing Argentina, Chile, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Trinidad and the United States.
In the two races, Paul Foerster’s Grand Slam 2 went two for two in pristine conditions of 14-16 knots to begin the Championship. The crew includes Rob Johnston, John Skiles, Stephen Andre and Mike Brown. Reigning J/24 World Champion Keith Whittemore on Furio lies four points back in second place (6 points), and John Mollicone’s New England Ropes holds third place with 8 points. Foerster also leads the robust 27-boat Corinthian division, followed by Nobuyuki Imai’s Siesta and James Freedman’s LOL.
PRO Mark Foster summarized, “In Race 1, the first start was a P Flag general recall. The second attempt was a U Flag but another general recall. So the third start went to a Black Flag, and all clear. They sailed five legs at 1.4 mile leg length. In Race 2, we started with a Black Flag and again all clear. The course was five legs at 135 at 1.4 nautical miles. The winds increased up to 18 knots in the last race.” Trailing Foerster in the initial contest were Whittemore and Aidan Glackin’s Mental Floss. And in the next battle were Mike Marshall’s American Garage and Mollicone.
Complete event details may be found at https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/23467#_home.
