2022 J/24 North American Championship
The first J/24 teams began arriving at the Club Sunday evening Oct. 23 for the 2022 J/24 North American Championship, just as the Soling fleet was wrapping up their North American Championship. Fortunately, with the help of an army of volunteers & the cooperation of virtually every fleet in the Club, the lot was ready. By Thursday afternoon most of the 38 teams were ready to go for the practice race with NE winds in the low-teens, and temperatures in the low 60’s. After racing PRO Sandy Grosvenor, regatta co-chairs Kelly & Pat FitzGerald and Commodore Johnson called the skippers meeting to order, with the Commodore officially opening the Regatta. Afterward, current World Champion Mike Marshall led an on-shore discussion of the expected conditions for the weekend, while everyone enjoyed a beverage from the always popular beer truck.
Friday, PRO Sandy & DRO Barbara Vosbury set an on-time 10:30 start in choppy seas & strong ebb current. The mid-teens shifty breeze slowly backed off throughout the day, but not before 3 races were completed with Canadian Evan Petley-Jones’ Lifted proving the most consistent to lead after day one, with Travis Odenbach’s Honeybadger in second place & local Tony Parker’s Bangor Packet in third. Travis led a panel of experts after racing in discussing day’s conditions, what worked & not, etc.
Saturday dawned a gorgeous Fall day on the Chesapeake with oscillating winds NE at 12-15, temps in the low 50’s and that challenging ebb current still running hard. The RC chose to pack four races in considering the forecast for Sunday’s breeze was light, going lighter. At the end of seven races, including a discard, Travis Odenbach’s Honeybadger led Mike Marshall’s American Garage by 1 point, with Japan’s Kohei Ichikawa Gekko Diana in third. Evan Petley-Jones’ Lifted led the 17-boat Corinthian Division.
Saturday evening saw a crowd of nearly 300 sailors & volunteers, including the J/22 sailors, gather to enjoy appetizers of MD crab soup & oysters on the half-shell & dinner catered by Main & Market. The silent auction to benefit Gold Star Sailing (a sailing camp dedicated to providing unique opportunities to surviving children of fallen military service members) kicked-off under the tent and once the Timmy Metz band fired up it was time to clear some tables for dancing and flip cup. This turned out to be quite a party with many staying late into the evening.
As the weatherman had predicted, Sunday morning dawned and the puffy NE breeze of the last two days had left the scene. In its wake was a wafting northwesterly. After two general recalls racing was abandoned, to the sounds of a cheers coming from the new North American Champion team of Travis’ Honeybadger.
The SSA J/24 & J/22 fleets would like to offer our sincere thanks to all the Fleets, Club members, volunteers and slip-holders who helped make this Regatta possible & successful. As has been said, we could not have done it without you.
photo by Aya Kuna