News

Current News Past News
1

Santa Cruz Repeats as J/24 World Champion
Sunday, March 11, 2007 (1607 reads)

www.j24mex.com/worlds2007.asp

By Kathy Taylor

Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico - Brazil’s Mauricio SantaCruz and his team on Bruschetta are the 2007 J/24 World Champions. Bruschetta led the boat parade through Nuevo Vallarta Harbour to cheers and horns on the final day of what everyone is calling “The Best Worlds Ever.”

Sitting in top spot all week, SantaCruz went into the final day needing only to hold off the three USA boats that have been chasing him since Day One. Mike Ingham’s Brain Cramp finished in second place with Mark Hillman (28-4) driving WIP in third. Chris Snow on Bogus, who was in the top four most of the week, dropped to 8th place after 36-8 finishes today

SantaCruz retired after the first race, the Championship in hand after his 18th place finish.

Insider's Scoop - Day Five
Saturday, March 10, 2007 (899 reads)

Joy Okazaki

USA 3747 Hot Pursuit
Fleet 26
Day Five-Friday

Defending champion Mauricio Santacruz on BRA 37 (Bow 51) had the lead going into Race 9 and Race 10, with San Diego's Chris Snow USA 5208 (Bow 23) following closely behind in second place. Mark Hillman USA 2274 (Bow 40) was in the hunt for top honors rounding out the top three.

Day Four - J/24 World Championship
Friday, March 09, 2007 (796 reads)

By Kathy Taylor

Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico - A full day of racing at the J/24 World Championships and the top four boats of Day Three are still firmly on top of the rankings. Mauricio Santacruz, 2006 World Champion, maintains his number one position with one day to go despite a 13-4 finish today.

Brazil’s Santacruz driving Bruschetta is still being chased by three American entries – in second place, Bogus, driven by Chris Snow, Mark Hillman’s WIP in third and in fourth place, Mike Ingham helming Brain Cramp.

Insider's Scoop - Day Four at J/24 World Championship
Friday, March 09, 2007 (530 reads)

By Joy Okazaki
USA 3747 - Hot Pursuit
Fleet 26 - Seattle

Day Three-WednesdayThe judges jumped into action on Day Two and Three, drawing random finishes to determine which boats would be inspected following the day's races. Other than a technical protest for a boat that pulled its rudder overnight, the competitors all appeared to be sailing clean. Weather conditions were a perfect 8 knots and flat water at the start of Race 5. The race committee was quick to jump on this and got off a first attempt at a start promptly at 13:00. Sailors were anxious, and the general recall was immediately followed by a black flag which everyone heeded.

Day Three of the J/24 World Championship
Thursday, March 08, 2007 (561 reads)

By Kathy Taylor

Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico - Mid-way through the 2007 J/24 World Championship Brazil’s Mauricio Santa Cruz and his Bruschetta team are still firmly in first place, with Chris Snow’s Bogus from the USA right at his heels.

USA continues to hold 3 of the top 5 spots, with Mark Hillman on WIP and Mike Ingham’s Brain Cramp claiming third and fourth place. Argentina’s Tag Heuer, driven by the team of Grimaldi and Contessi dropped are in fifth position.

Insider's Scoop - On site report from J/24 Worlds
Thursday, March 08, 2007 (448 reads)

By Joy Okazaki
USA 3747 - Hot Pursuit
Fleet 26

Day One-Monday
Boats were off the docks early in anticipation of the week's competition-winds were light for the first race (5-6 knots) with a perceptable current pushing boats into the starboard pin-end boat. The race committee patiently attempted 3 starts under direction of Principal Race Officer Mike Wathen before displaying the "black flag." Despite the warnings, 9 boats were caught "on course side," with many other contenders receiving scoring penalties during the 2nd and 3rd attempted and general recalled starts under flags "I over Z."

Day Two of the J/24 World Championship
Wednesday, March 07, 2007 (620 reads)

By Kathy Taylor

Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico - Tuesday was a day of big shifts at the J/24 World Championship, however, nothing change at the top of the results, as reigning World Champion Mauricio Santa Cruz from Brazil held onto first place. Santa Cruz and his team sailing Bruschetta scored a bullet in Race 4. He was pursued by USA’s Chris Snow on Bogus finishing second, and Canadian Rossi Milev sailing ING DIRECT in third.

World Championship - Day One
Tuesday, March 06, 2007 (738 reads)

Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico – 2006 World Champion Maurico Santa Cruz from Brazil sat comfortably on top of the standings after the first day of racing at the 2007 J/24 World Championship. After two races, Santa Cruz, sailing Bruschetta, had finishes of 3-3 to end the day three points ahead of Rochester, New York’s Mike Ingham and Brain Cramp (7-2).

Santa Cruz will be pursued on Tuesday by a pack of four American boats – Ingham, Ryan Cox, Chris Snow and Dave Klatt. Top Mexican boat, Kenneth Porter on S, sits in sizth place.

Full results can be viewed at http://www.j24mex.com/day1.htm

J/24 Worlds Open with a Bang
Monday, March 05, 2007 (555 reads)

By Kathy Taylor, PVNN

The sky lit up with fireworks as Governor Ney Gonzales declared the J/24 UBS World Championship Vallarta officially open in front of a crowd of hundreds of international sailors, committee members, staff and volunteers last night in Nuevo Vallarta. The Paradise Village Amphitheatre erupted in cheers as each of the fifteen participant countries were announced.

On-site Reporting at the J/24 World Championship
Sunday, March 04, 2007 (382 reads)

Reporting Joy Okazaki

USA 3747 - Hot Pursuit - Fleet 26

Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico - Sunny, 80 degree weather welcomed all of the participants and regatta staff in Nuevo Vallarta as measurement began on Thursday, March 1. 22 boats made it through the process on Day One with many more in queue. With a total of 70 boats to get through, the stellar measurement team led by Technical Chair Lorne Chapman worked diligently to get the rest of the boats measured and corrections rechecked prior to Sunday's practice rce at 1300.