The village of Anzio is a wonderful setting for the J/24 Italian Championships, famous for its micro-climate that often borders on the tropical, with plentiful sunshine, cool breezes blowing onshore and a gentle Mediterranean swell rolling into the golden beaches along the shores. However, this year’s event was nothing like what anyone anticipated. As a monstrous frontal system swept across the Italian peninsula, it generated giant, breaking waves, 20-35 kt winds and plenty of cloud cover with chilly temperatures—epic sailing for sure, testing the determination and limits of endurance for all the J/24 teams. With 45 J/24s attending this year’s event, it was clear Italian sailors love their favorite sailing spots, creating one of the largest turnouts in years for the event. In the end, it was the American Keith Whittemore sailing FURIO that won on equal points with Luigi Ravioli in an epic battle on the high seas. As a result, Whittemore won the coveted “Open Championship” title, and Ravioli sailing STOCKFISH wins the Italian J/24 Champs as first Italian. Finishing second overall was Avoltore, third was defending champions Ignazio Bonanno on LA SUPERBA, fourth was Mariolino Fraietta, and fifth was Peter Diamond. “In the end, fortunately, we were able to compete in at least five races. It would really have been a shame to thwart the extraordinary efforts of all with fewer races. Conditions were about as bad as we’ve ever seen it in this magnificent town of Anzio,” said Luigi Ravioli (past J/24 European Champion in 1999 and third in J/24 Worlds in the United Kingdom). “With friends we began to prepare the boat (rather dated and with several problem areas) back in October 2012. We participated in the Winter Championship where we realized that we could be competitive and, above all, we had a great team spirit on board.” “It’s been a great championship, challenging but very rewarding, with spectacular 10-15 ft waves, wind never below 20-23 kts, conditions that put a strain on all but now that it’s all over, we can say we have enjoyed it all,” said Massimo Mariotti. “I want to thank my crew for an amazing job!” The sailors credited the local sailing clubs and the Italian Navy for a job “well done” despite the capricious conditions. In fact, the weather was so difficult, racing had to be canceled one day because the harbor mouth was virtually impassable due to breaking 15-20 ft waves and 25-35 kt gale-force winds. For more J/24 Italian Championship sailing information, visithttp://www.j24.it/web/index.php.

The Barbados J/24 fleet continues to grow by leaps and bounds. This year’s Mt Gay Regatta saw a tremendous, enthusiastic turn-out for the J/24 class with 14 boats participating in the event, essentially all the J/24s in Barbados! Sailing like a pro was Bailey’s team on FULLY COVERED, taking the regatta counting three firsts and three seconds for 9 points in the seven race regatta. The dog fight for the balance of the top five made for some spirited racing within the fleet. Coming out on top was Povey’s HAWKEYE with 23 points to take second overall. Mayers’s ESPERANZA finished third with 25 points, Burke’s IMPULSE took fourth with 26 points, and Sweeney’s ATTITUDE took fifth. For more J/24 Barbados sailing information, visit http://www.j24barbados.com/J24/public/default.asp.

The major summer regatta in the Netherlands, Delta Lloyd North Sea Week, saw some great competition, nice weather and one of their best turn-outs for participation in recent years. Teams from all over Europe migrated down to the beautiful seashore off the Hague. The half-dozen J/24s sailing saw NED 49 take the silverware by a significant point margin. The team of Erik Jeuring, Calijn Muller, Jeroen Horts and Merk Meester ran away with the regatta counting straight firsts in eight races! Second was NED 51-DE JANS sailed by Nils Jannichsen, Nina Hagoort and Peter Jannichsen followed by BED 68-AS IS helmed by Dirk de Brouwere. For more information, visit, http://nsr.nl/.

The J/24 Class in Germany continues to have fun sailing competitive regattas across the many inland lakes as well as on the Baltic or North Seas. Recently, their German Open J/24 Regatta was hosted by Flensburger Segel-Club sailed in the Flensburg Fjord on the Baltic Sea, a beautiful and challenging place to sail for anyone. A fleet of 28 J/24s enjoyed the event. Despite difficult weather conditions for the weekend of sailing, the PRO managed to conduct four races for the fleet of the nine that were planned. In the end, the team of GER 5420 took first place by the narrowest of margins. With Simon Grorteluschen as skipper and crew of Justus Kellner, Tobias Peters, Jan-Marc Ulrich and Mattias Wallentin, their team started slowly and finished with a flourish, scoring 8-6-2-3 for 19 points to take the regatta by one point. Second overall was the top women’s German team that sailed extremely well in the event. GER 513 skipper by Ragna Thonnessen with crew of Laura Hatje, Ann-Kathrin Frank, Lisa Raschdorf, Janne Hopken and Venita Damm sailed to a 3-1-9-7 for 20 points. Taking the third position on the podium was GER 5281 skippered by Jan Kahler. His crew of Roland Bohm, Tim Becker, Olaf Zeitz and Ole Harder sailed the best last three races for the entire fleet. They scored a 12-4-1-4 for 21 points, to narrowly miss out taking the regatta overall. Rounding out the top five finishes are the GER 4230 team lead by Peer Kock in fourth and GER 5440 skippered by Matthias Garzmann in fifth. Congratulations to all for such a great turnout! For more J/24 German Open sailing information, visit http://www.fsc.de/regatten/germanopenj24.html.

The active, fun and highly competitive J/24 Class in Mexico continue to attract a strong following across their country, particularly at Valle de Bravo and at Puerto Vallarta where they sail on the picturesque Bahia de Banderas. The sailing was close for the first part of the J/24 Mexican National series, with two dozen races divided into five events over the course of time. So far, 39 different J/24 teams have sailed in regattas. The first series ended on an upbeat note, with a gorgeous day and onshore breezes of a steady 10-14 knots, gusting 16-18 knots. Congratulations to the winners of the first part of the series, sailing the mighty yacht “S,” with skipper Kenneth Porter leading the charge with his crew Gerrit Gentry, Kenneth Porter Galindo, Gerrit Gentry Homes and Leopoldo Farias. Second overall went to Miguel Arroyo’s team on CHILE MANZANO, his crew included Alan Benitez, Tito Benitez, Manuel Benitez and Javier Benitez. Third was skipper Javier Velasquez along with his crew Ricardo Robledo, Emigdio, and Erick Gonzalez Feliciano White. Rounding out the top five were Eduardo Porter’s CHARISMA and in fifth place was Peter Wiegandt’s BRUSCHETTA. For more J/24 Mexico National Championship series information, visit http://www.j24mex.com/.

The Trofeo Accademia Navale (TAN) is more and more a sailing festival for everyone, the only sailing event in Italy that unites world-class athletes, thousands of lovers of the sea, the disabled and people in need, together in their passion for the sea and for solidarity with one another. Included within the event is “The Regatta of Solidarity,” organized by the Naval Academy and Retedeldono–it’s a charity fundraiser for the “Italian Union of Sailing Solidarity” (an organization founded in 2003 with 27 associations that has enabled over 20,000 people with disabilities to go sailing in the past ten years). “The idea that the sea is for the few, for the elite, has challenged the boating world; instead we have taken a road that will open the doors of the sea for all. It will be beneficial to the whole society and the boating industry.” This is the message that comes from the rally being held in Livorno at the Tuttovela village to celebrate the 30th TAN. “The sea is not a luxury or a privilege for the few, but a resource for the whole society, a means to educate young people, to be inclusive, to tackle social disadvantage and disability.” The rally ended with Don Antonio Mazzi speaking about the importance and value of the sea, stating that: “Saint Peter was a fisherman, Noah made the Ark and saved the world, and Jesus on the Sea of Galilee said to his disciples on the Ark: ‘Do not be afraid I’m there on the Ark with you.’ The sea is infinite, its power is its beauty: we must enjoy with our family and children and we will return home a better person.” Taking up the challenge to help others and educate them on the beauty and power of the sea was an entire flotilla of J/24s participating in the event to honor the “sailing solidarity” theme. As they did last year, the team of Ignazio Bonanno and crew on LA SUPERBA sailed a good series to repeat their win in this 30th anniversary event, winning four of the races along the way. Second was the top German team, Shade Frithjof sailing JJ-ONE to one of their best regatta performances in Italian waters. Third was Fabio Delicati sailing DJKE, fourth was Pietro Diamanti on JAMAICA and fifth was Nicola Giovannini on OTTOBRE ROSSO. For more information, visit http://www.trofeoaccademianavale.eu/.

The J/24 Class in the United Kingdom and Ireland is preparing for the upcoming J/24 Worlds. This past weekend, Duncan McCarthy and the team of MADELEINE (GBR 4265) got their season off to a great start by claiming the 2013 Fowey Trophy by 3 points from the HITCHHIKER team (GBR 4242). Third was JIGGY 2, fourth was JUMBA and fifth was JAWBREAKER. For the complete report, visit http://www.j24class.org.uk/news/madeleine-wins-2013-fowey-trophy/.

Two days of hard competitive racing saw Dave Suda sailing ‘Pacemaker’ regain the Vic States crown – just. For the complete story from Simon Grain in Australia, visit http://www.j24.com.au/.

With more than 120 boats on the start line, the Van Uden Reco Stellendam Regatta promised to have lots of action and fun for the offshore sailing season opener in the Netherlands. The predictions regarding the weather promised a weekend full of sun and plenty of breeze. Whether there would still be enough wind Sunday was the real question on everyone’s minds as the weekend unfolded. On Friday afternoon, the Stellendam Marina slowly filled with all kinds of one-design class boats ready for a race weekend at the Haringvliet. For most sailors the regatta was a short drive, but the Van Uden Reco is worth it! For the J/22 fleet, two German teams looked forward to joining the party on and off the water and traveled to Stellendam. On Friday, it was cold and windy, so many teams launched, went for a quick practice sail then came back in to refuel, stay warm and prepare for up to eight races on the schedule. Despite the crazy weather this year, Saturday dawned quite warm, so woolly hats were substituted with long shirts and caps to shield everyone from the warm sun. It soon became apparent that the wind forecasts were wrong. The prediction was a Force 5 11-15 kts wind. There was enough wind to get off four races and the sun made it a perfect sailing day! After a long, exhausting, but fun day on the water, the sailors all looked forward to the massive outdoor cookout on shore with ham, hamburgers, fish fry and plenty of beer. A good time was had by all as the sun sank further behind the shed and the temperature dropped (it was freezing at night!). Unfortunately, predictions regards wind on Sunday came truer than anyone hoped. With plenty of sun in the sky, the wind was hard to find. However, it began to blow a little more in the course of the morning and the sailing teams were sent onto the water. It was a good decision, because not much later there was a breeze at Force 3-4. At noon was the first start for most classes and courses. For the J/22s, the fleet managed to get in three short races. The J/22s had some spirited racing, especially on the windier Saturday. The nearly windless Sunday jumbled the standings as different teams excelled in one condition versus the other. Taking the top spot after finishing Saturday in third overall was Big Lift/Happy Future (Nico van der Kolk), sailing to a 3-6-4-4-1-2-2 for 22 net pts. Just two points back after a slow start on Sunday was Big Lift/Happy Star (Jeremy Moens), recording a scoreline of 5-4-5-1-5-3-1 for 24 pts. Third was Batavaia Stad (Christian Rieckborn) with a 2-1-6-7-7-5-4 record for 32 pts. Rounding out the top five were Jolly Jumper (Ivo Jeukens) in fourth with 34 pts and in fifth was De Kantoorbutler (Stan Heltzel) with 37 pts. Note, after the first day, Heltzel was the regatta leader with a 1-5-1-5 but got DSQ’d in race 5 on Sunday to hurt their chances at a podium finish. For more Van Uden Reco Stellendam Regatta sailing information, visithttp://www.vanudenreco.nl/index.php.

While winter seemingly still has not left the northern hemisphere, the J/24 gang down in Buenos Aires are enjoying nearly equally crazy conditions in their J/24 Autumn Cup, hosted by Yacht Club Argentino. After a hard day of racing Saturday, the fleet was able to complete three good races. Southwest winds prevailed despite, providing the fleet with what is known locally as the “borneo conditions,” rains blasting the fleet with massive wind shifts and winds gusting from 15-25 kts. With the racing taking place not far off the “North Dock,” the fleet was constantly challenged with shifty, gusty cells that keep mixing up the fleet. After three races sailed, it was clear the CACIQUE team led by Sergio Pendola had established a good lead on the fleet with a 1-1-2. For Sunday’s racing, the fleet was blessed with a sunny day with little breeze. After two hours of postponement, a gentle northerly settled onto the race course, veering to the northeast that grew stronger during the day. The RC managed to run two good races to make for a nice start for the two weekend series. The first race with soft breeze was again won by Sergio Pendola and the CACIQUE gang, and the second race was won by Nico and Rina Cubria. The Rossi brothers on SHARK are still lurking and waiting for their chance at the lead. Also, the BA J/24 fleet welcomes newcomer Adrian Segurado. This weekend concludes the Autumn Cup at YCA (April 13 & 14). For more J/24 Buenos Aires sailing information, visit http://j24arg.blogspot.com/.

This year’s first phase of the Pan-hellenic J/24 Championship hosted by the Yacht Club of Paleo Falero was full of twists and turns for the 13 teams that participated from Athens, Crete and Thessaloniki. After eight exciting races, the HELLENIC POLICE, with skipper Alexander Tagaropoulo took an important step forward for the Pan-hellenic Championship Class by winning this event before heading down to Agios Nikolaos, Crete in October 2013 for the second phase to complete the championship. Behind HELLENIC POLICE in second place was JMANIA with Spingo Niko and Dimitris Petkidi skippering. Third was ANIMA sailed by Alexander Mogantam. The first day of racing began with an unpleasant surprise for the teams as they were leaving the harbor–complete absence of wind. However, a light breeze from the south appeared and spread throughout the Paleo Falior Gulf growing into a beautiful 8-15 kts breeze. Three races were completed, which included spectacular duels between the leading groups. The three favorites to win (HELLENIC POLICE, ANIMA, JMANIA) made very strong starts with the trio winning all three races. The second day of racing was the most exciting, as there were four races in difficult conditions for teams. The prevailing southerly winds were strong to begin with and grew even stronger throughout the day, reaching 20-25 kts with huge, choppy waves coming down the gulf. JMANIA stole the day with some amazing races, including winning two races with HELLENIC POLICE taking the last race win. On the last day, the weather permitted only one race as the sailing conditions diminished rapidly for the sailors. With an early start at 11:00am, the RC was hoping to get in at least two races before the forecasted 20-25 kts winds increased in intensity to 30-35 kts near-gale conditions. It turns out, the forecast was right, but late! By the time the J/24 teams were finishing the first race, gusts were already hitting 30 kts. At that point, the RC wisely called it a day and told the fleet to head for home. The only race was won by HELLENIC POLICE. The crews now look forward to their next appointment to complete the PanHellenic Championships in October at Agios Nikolaos, Crete. With only five points separating the top four teams, interest in the second phase remains high, and the final victory of the Panhellenic open and unpredictable. For more J/24 Greece Pan-Hellenic Championship sailing information, visit http://www.j24class.gr/.

The past weekend was the second and final round of the fall J/24 championship on Lago San Roque called the “Sailor’s Cup,” sailed off the picturesque Andean Mountains’ town of Cordoba. An excellent fleet turnout of 17 boats produced close competition with the top five all riding “roller coaster” finishes over the two weekend event with six races completed. It was evident the various J/24 teams are increasingly more even in their performance, boat speed and teamwork are such that many races aren’t determined until the final 100 meters by those making the fewest mistakes! In the end, is was Team INDIGO led by Despontin Ezekiel, who managed to win the championship after an excellent final day posting finishes of 2-4-1 for 16 net pts. Just behind them a true Argentinean polo pony race hit the pelota into the goal! The next four boats finished within four points of each other! Taking second on a tie-breaker was CALEUCHE PHONE SERVICE followed by CAIDO DEL CIELO in third, also with 21 points. By virtue of winning one of their first races, the team on MARIA MARIA sailed by Julia Wheat, Vicky Allende, Carlos Trigo, Miguel Bailo and Ramiro Camiloto finished fourth with 24 pts. They were followed in fifth by A PRUEBAS DE BALAS with 25 pts! For more J/24 Cordoba sailing information, visit http://j24arg.blogspot.com/.

Eighteen J/24s representing Hungary, Germany and Italy made the migration down to sail the gorgeous and enchanting stretch of sea between Porto Santo Stefano and the offshore islands of Giglio, Talamone and Giannella. If the weather and sailing are good or bad often doesn’t matter much to the J/24 sailors who love participating in Pasquavela; the seaside village is beautiful and quaint with many nice cafes and restaurants to enjoy any time of day! On the first day of Pasquavela, the winds were from the south/southeast with a nice, gentle 12-15 kts breeze. Establishing an early lead in the regatta was LA SUPERBA, winning two of the three races with BUDAPEST BANK taking the other race. The next day was characterized by adverse weather conditions, which was both widely expected and forecasted! Nevertheless, the excellent work of the Race Committee made it possible to carry out at least one race in the “scirocco” winds, blowing 20-25 kts at the start and gusting to 35 kts in heavy rain showers by the weather mark near shore (in fact, located just off the beach at Gianella!). After that experience, the PRO wisely sent the fleet home to lick their wounds and prepare for another day of sailing. Unfortunately, Sunday’s sailing was also adversely affected by crazy weather! This time, lack of wind was the problem and sailors (happily) suffering from too much bright sun and flat seas. However, despite repeated attempts by the PRO to start a race, the wind simply would not cooperate, so no races were sailed on Easter Sunday. It was time to head back to shore and enjoy Easter Brunch with family and friends along the seaside cafes. Finally, Easter Monday was celebrated with three good races on a sunny day, decent breeze and flat water. A fitting end to a regatta punctuated by some wild weather conditions. Continuing on their performances in 2012 as both Italian and European J/24 Champions, the LA SUPERBA team led by Ignazio Bonanno (crew included Simone Scontrino, Francesco Linares, Alfredo Branciforte and Massimo Gherarducci) won five races to help them win by four points. Sailing faster and smarter all the time is the Hungarian team BUDAPEST BANK sailed by Farkas Litkey, their five 2nds and a first nearly pulled off a win were it not for the 4-2 on the last races. Instead, Farkas and the B-BANK boys took a well-deserved second overall with 11 net pts. Third was top German team JJ ONE from the Segel Club Joersfelder with a total of 26 net pts. Rounding out the top five were JAMAICA sailed by Pietro Diamanti in 4th and CAPTAIN NEMO skippered by Guido Guadagni in 5th. “Overall it was a wonderful Pasquavela– the total number of sailing teams is slightly lower than in 2012, but the quality is definitely increased,” commented YC Santo Stefano Commodore. “Pity about the weather (too windy Saturday, Sunday too little), but the race course off Porto Santo Stefano always presents an excellent challenge to all sailors. The race committee was excellent considering the weather! The behavior of the participants was wonderful and ‘Thanks’ to the Jury on the water. Please feel welcome, enjoy the awards, rivers of beer and pasta for everyone!” The German J/24 report on their experience at Pasquavela : “Three German teams sailed Pasquavela this year. The sailing could be characterized as ‘assault and demolition’ one race to ‘lulls and flat’ the next. At times it was sunny, then cloudy again, and finally we also enjoyed a bit of rain. After the months of snowfall in Germany, we were certainly happy to have a variety of weather. After all, there were temperatures up to 18 C! Plus, the Italians are always great hosts–pasta, beer, red wine! The races were sometimes very tricky and not every team did so well. The best German team were the guys from the JJ ONE who fought hard on the last day (getting a 7-2-4) to place third overall. Peter Langhans and his OSTE hoodlum boys occupied eleventh place and the ALICE girls (you know, all the pretty blonds) finished the series ranked 17th. Legendary German sailing coach, Thorsten Paech, appeared quite happy with the whole weekend. We practiced on the water in all kinds of situations. Pre-start, tons of mark roundings, and boat-for-boat tactics against the competition. I’m curious to see how our teams will implement their learning experiences in the next event?” Thanks for contribution from Paola Zanoni, Italiana di Classe J/24. For more J/24 Italy Pasquavela sailing information, visit http://www.ycss.it/pasquavela.htm.

Commenting on hosting the Nation’s Cup Qualifier, President of the J/24 Club of Barbados, Greg Webster said, “such organized events will help to further develop the sport of sailing on the island. Support-funding and events of this nature also allows the J/24 Club to promote Barbados as a sailing destination and helps to train and develop our youth sailors for international competition.” The Barbados J/24 Club founded in July 2007 has rejuvenated Barbados to the sport of sailing and yacht racing with its camaraderie and spirit of competition. The J/24 One Design fleet grew from 4 to 10 boats in just 14 months. And, most importantly, it’s mission is to encourage and grow the recognition of the J/24 class throughout the Southern Caribbean and in in Barbados. Following a convincing victory in the Barbados ISAF Nation’s Cup Qualifiers, Team USA, skippered by Dustin Durant, will represent the Caribbean and Americas region in the 2013 Nations Cup J/24 yachting championship in Denmark. Team USA spoiled the party for Team Canada when it mattered most, registering a convincing 3-0 victory in the final sail-off in Carlisle Bay on Sunday after the Canadians had completely dominated the preliminaries. Six teams took part in the United Insurance Nations Cup qualifiers which were hosted by the J/24 Club of Barbados and sailed over three days as an international regatta in Carlisle Bay. The Canadians, skippered by Peter Wickwire, entered the final with 15 points, having defeated all rivals in the round-robin preliminaries, but encountered a more tactically-charged American team in an exciting tussle for the finals. Durant and his crew, from Long-Beach California, grabbed the championship as they controlled the pre-start sequence and tactically stifled the Canadians in each of the three races in the finals. The Canadians finished second overall while Team Puerto Rico, captained by Marco Texidor, were third after defeating Robert Povey’s Barbados team 2-1 in the sail-off for third place. The Barbadians, who made the semifinals and were defeated by Team Canada, won the first race in an impressive performance against the Puerto Ricans but were unable to subdue their more aggressive rivals and took fourth place. “It was truly a new level of competition for us Barbadian sailors but it was also a fantastic week learning from our competitors from North America . It will certainly raise the bar for our local guys to achieve new heights. We look forward to meeting them again in the coming year,” said Povey. The lone female crew in the regatta, an American team skippered by Sandy Hayes, have also qualified for the Nations Cup Women Finals in Denmark as winners of the female division. President of the J/24 Club Barbados, Greg Webster, said the International Sailing Federation Grade-2 event was a learning curve for local J/24 sailors and thanked all sponsors for helping to make it a success. Along with title-sponsors United Insurance, other support came from RL Seale, EarthWorks Pottery, 10 Saints Beer, the BYC, and RoseBank Apts. “The pre-start sequence for each match was fantastic to watch as the competitors were very aggressive and the boats were in extreme close proximity to one another and the helmsmen were required to maintain the control of the boat with assistance from the crew in a precision manner so as to prevent fouls and penalties. It was great to watch and learn from the top international sailors. It was a successful event hosted by Barbados and many thanks to our sponsors and volunteers,” he said. For more J/24 Barbados Nation’s Cup sailing information, visithttp://www.j24barbados.com/J24/public/default.asp.