Argentina      Guillermo Parada         ARG 4878
               Juan Ignazio Grimaldi    ARG 4677
               Guillermo Baquerita      ARG 5094

Australia      Philip Cooms
               Stephen Girdis           AUS 161
               Robert Hagen             AUS 191
               Hugo Ottaway             AUS 155

Canada         Gordon Burt              CAN 4282
               David Baird              CAN 2593

Croatia        Marin Lavrovic           CRO 10

France         Alain Fedensieu          FRA 5146
               Benoit Charon            FRA 4720
               Marc Emig                FRA 5151
               Jean Marie Vigoureux     FRA 5159
               Patrick Mousselon        FRA 5148
               Luc Videau               FRA 4789

Germany        Thomas Ross              GER 31
               Jan Kahler               GER 15
               Leif Tom Loose
               Thomas Cramer            GER 38

Grand Cayman   Andrew S Moon            CAY 1

Greece         George Andreadis         GRE 4538
               Fragoulis Mantzarakis    GRE 5113

Holland        Fraz van der Wel         NED 39
               A. Dukker                NED 6

Ireland        Ward Woods               IRL 4628

Italy          15 teams will qualify in mid-May

Japan          Iwade Akira              JPN 5083
               Nadano Tomoko            JPN 3809
               Kondo Keiji              JPN 3826
               Kai Miyuki               JPN 4907
               Nadana Akinori           JPN 5094

Monaco         Jean Francois Fino       MON 93
               Claudio Rodelato         MON 78
               Ian Ilsley               MON 55
               Michele Perris

Sweden         Sten Haeger              SWE 123
               Dan Loven                SWE 111
               Anders Edblad            SWE 102
               Magnus Gravare           SWE 112
               Mattias Wilson           SWE 66
               Jan Bergstrom            SWE 4480

UK             Stuart Jardine           GBR 4215
               David Ellis              GBR 4242

USA            Benz Faget/Jerry Coogan  
               Chris Larson             USA 5160
               John Carpenter
               Terry Hutchinson         USA 2934
               Eric Lietner
               Bill Worsham             USA 4756

US Virgin Is   Peter Lauria        

The regatta leader (Sandro Montefusco) was 23 point ahead at the end of yeaterday's race. Montefusco, who was busy covering the second place boat finished 24th today.

If there are no protests which move Montefusco up, Larson will win by 1/4 point.

More later....

The final race of the 1996 J/24 Worlds was sailed today.  The Racers are 
off the water but the results are not yet clear.  

After yesterday's race 5 people had a mathematical chance to win.  The 
results after yesterday's races were:

Montefusco 37.75 with throwout of 26
Parada (ARG) 42.75 with a throwout of 34
Vascotto (ITL) 54 with a throwout of 38 
Hutchinson 54.75 with a throwout of 14
Larson 59.75 with a throwout of 62

There were 2 general recalls where the leaders were cautious not to get a PMS.
A Black flag was unfurled after the second general, there were no premature 
starters.  At the start both of the leaders did not get off the line well.

Both Montefusco and Parada were forced left to find clear air, but the wind 
was on the right. At the first mark Larson had an impressive lead, Hutchinson
was 11th, Montefusco was about 16th and Parada was around 26th, both were in
heavy traffic, Vascotto was in the 50s.  Around the second mark the results
changed little.  At the end of the third leg Montefusco and Parada slipped a 
little because the right was favored and they could not find clean air to go 
right.  They were in the mid 20s at the end of the second beat.  At the final 
gate it was Larson by 1:28, Hutchinson in 8th, Montefusco in 25 and 
Parada in 24th.  

Montefusco in about 22nd position was leading Parada approaching the final 
gate but choose to round the starboard gate while Parada rounded the left 
gate.  At the time they rounded it did not appear that there was any traffic 
around the port gate.  By using the Starboard gate Montefusco was on the 
unfavored side of the course.  Up the beat Parada managed to stay in front of 
the Italian.

Larson finished more than 1:30 in from of the second place finisher, Pietro 
Dali' (ITL).  Larson crew quickly dropped their sails and started counting 
the finishers.  The tension was easy to see on their faces - I hope I got a 
photo of it.  Their fate was not in their own hands, it was in the hands of 
the other competitors.  

Hutchinson approached the finish in 10th on starboard and appeared to have 
been fouled by Tommaso Chieffi.  There was no boat contact.  Larson had 
Hutchinson by 4.25 points.  Thirteen boats later Parada finished in 23rd, 
Followed 2 boats later by Montefusco, in 25th.  The reality took a while to 
sink in.  There was some fast addition done before Larson's crew gave each 
other hi fives and hugs.  I hope I got photos of that too.

At present the protests are being filed and it appears that even if Chieffi 
or Hutchinson is disqualified Larson will still win.  But are there other 
protests among the top 24 finishers?  I do not know - I'll tell you soon.

Protest time has expired. No Protests were filed which can take the J/24 Worlds away from Larson.

Larson is the 1996 J/24 World Champion!

Chris Larson of Annapolis, Maryland, USA won the Breeze J/24 World Championship
with a stunning, come from behind, victory in the final race of the series. 

The regatta was hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda at its quaint annex in
the resort village of Porto Rotundo on Sardinia.  Breeze, Honora's biological
deodorant produced by Diana De Silva Cosmetiques, sponsored the event.  Sixty
two teams from 17 nations participated. Sailing with Larson was Jon Rodgers
(foredeck) of San Diego, CA, Vince Brun (tactics) also from San Diego, Paolo
Boido (mast) of Torino, Italy, and Karl Anderson (trim) of East Dennis, MA.  
Larson, a veteran of the International J/24 Class Association, said "I've 
dreamed of winning this regatta for the past 17 years, I can hardly believe 
we did it" when he addressed fellow competitors, race officials and 
dignitaries at the closing ceremonies.

Larson started the last race in 5th place overall, trailing the leader by 
24 points.  He won the race by a convincing 1:30 minutes over the second 
place boat.  But his victory in the last race was only one link in a 
complicated chain of events required for a win in the overall results.  
The regatta was a series of 9 races of which each competitor may discard 
his worst result.  Before race 9 of the series Sandro Montefusco from Italy 
had a 24 point lead over Larson and his discard was a 26th.  There were 2 
combinations for Larson to win,  he had to finish first and Montefusco had 
to finish 24th or worse, or Larson 2nd and Montefusco 26th or worse.  The 
winner of each race receives a quarter point bonus.  If Larson was worse than 
3rd Montefusco could finish last, discard that result and keep his 26th in 
race #2 to maintain a 1 point lead over Larson.  In addition there were 3 
other competitors who were ahead of Larson in the overall standings at the 
beginning of the last race, each of them had to finish deep in the fleet for 
the American to win.

Guillermo Parada of Buenos Aries, Argentina,  was lying in second, 17 points 
ahead of Larson, after 8 races.  Parada is a seasoned J/24 sailor and a former 
International Snipe Class World Champion.  The final race appeared to be fight 
between Parada and Montefusco for the championship.  Both were in weak 
positions at the start because they were careful not to start prematurely.  As
the race progressed neither rounded any mark in a position better than 18th.
At the final gate before the finish Parada and Montefusco were neck and neck in
24th place.

Vasco Vascotto from Italy was lying in 3rd after the 8th race with a 5.75 
point lead over Larson.  Unfortunately, Vascotto had his worse race of the 
regatta in the closing heat.

Another player in this drama was Terry Hutchinson of Newport, RI, USA. 
Hutchinson was 5 points ahead of Larson at the start of the race and needed 
only to finish in 5th position to maintain his lead over Larson in the final 
standings.  Hutchinson was in 6th at the final gate of the race and needed 
only to pass one boat to win.  However, the boats in front of him at the 
point of the race had a nearly insurmountable lead.  Going up the last leg 
Hutchinson knew he had 2nd locked up.  At the closing ceremonies Hutchinson 
recounted, "I said to my crew, 'Did we come here to finish second or did we 
come here to win this thing.'"  Evidently the answer was simple, they were 
here to win so Hutchinson tacked to the east, the unfavored side of the race 
course, looking for a new wind which would propel him into 5th.

Larson finished the race with a huge lead over the second place finisher but 
the drama was not over.  His crew quickly doused the sails and waited next to 
the finish line for Hutchinson, Montefusco and Parada to finish.  First 
Hutchinson finished in 10th place having lost several boats in his risky 
strategy to gain one.  Then Parada finished in 22nd, then Montefusco in 24th.
Larson had won the championship.

This was a dramatic finish to a very successful week of racing off Porto 
Rotondo.  The 9 race series was held over 6 days with 2 races being sailed 
on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday and one race on Monday Thursday and Friday.
There was a different leader at the end of each day's racing.  Flavio Favini
lead after the open day.  Tommaso Chieffi, Italy lead after Monday's race, 
Vasco Vascotto, lead after 3 day of racing Guillermo Parada lead after 
Wednesday's races and Montefusco lead going into the final day.  Each of the 
first 8 races was won by a different team, Montefusco won the first race 
followed by: Chieffi, Parada, Juan Ignazio Grimaldi (Argentina), Larson,
Hutchinson, Miyuki Kai (Japan), and Andrew Moon (Cayman Islands).  With his 
final race victory only Larson won 2 races in the series.  

The closing ceremony and prize giving was presided over by His Highness the 
Aga Kahn.  Also present were dignitaries from the nearby city of Olbia, the 
president of the Italian Sailing Federation, Naval Officers from both the 
Italian and US Navy and regatta officials.  "The entire event has been a 
complete success" said International J/24 Class Association Chairman, Geoff 
Evelyn of Toronto, Canada at the prize giving.  "There is no doubt that the 
cream has risen to the top. Every competitor had a great time with the 
championship being decided on the water." The Argentine crews gathered around
their champion, Parada, and sang rowdy football (soccer) songs to celebrate
his good finish.  "And there is no doubt we will have a wonderful regatta in
1997" he added referring to the next World Championships scheduled for November
1997 in Parada's home town of Buenos Aries, Argentina.

Additional Information can be obtained from the International J/24 Class 
Association, 612 Third Street, #4A, Annapolis, MD, USA.  Fax 1 410 626-0240