Last Post

	They really, really like me. Thanks to OPBYC for making it all worthwhile.

Its been three weekends now since prizes for the North Americans were handed out. This Web site topped out at more than 3,000 hits on August 19 but has slipped back to 30 or 40 most days. Based on experience with the 2010 Canadians, it is not likely to rise again.

The championship finish for the North Americans was nearly as close as for last year’s Canadians with the last race deciding the issue between Travis Odenbach of Rochester, NY, and John Mollicone of Newport, RI. There were no protests or appeals in this case, though, so I don’t expect an epilogue unless there are drug test results that no one has told me about.

Travis and his crew won fair and square. They beat some of the very best J24 sailors in the world no questions asked. Everyone will have a crack at them on their home turf in upstate New York when Rochester YC hosts the 2012 J24 World Championship nest September.

It’s been nice for me too. Admittedly, Stix and Stones didn’t even make the top half of the rankings despite our final race foray to the head of the fleet. More importantly, a fair number of people actually quite liked this blog. A few even said so and no one said they didn’t like it (I can delete those anyway). I even got one official smiley face “Like” from OPBYC (Other Peoples’ Boats Yacht Cub), which was my first of those all time (more than 100 sailing related posts for various regattas round these parts).

It is all saying to me that its time to wrap it up and let me loving readership know that the end has come. I am quitting near the top. It has been a great pleasure to serve and inform but there wll be no more. We’ll look forward to future opportunities whenever the J class powers to be smile on our obscure corner of the New World. Halifax is a great place to sail and its been wonderful to be host to some of the world’s great sailors. Congratulations to Travis Odenbach and Waterlinesystems.com, and thanks to all of this year’s competitors.

North Americans Wrap Up

	Pat Sajak and Vanna White have nothing on J24 Canada President Dale Robertson and his able assistant Lorna Flemming, who dished out prizes from first to last as well as many sponsor-provided gifts, most notably shoes for many provided by Sperry Topsider.

At the close of racing on Saturday, August 20, the waterfront grounds of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron gave way to the awards ceremony. Presiding over the proceedings in natty Slam attire was Canadian J24 Class President Dale Robertson. With assistance from Lorna Flemming and Mary Lou Landry, Dale dished out awards for final positions from top to bottom and in between. He also held draws for a variety of prizes provided by sponsors such as Slam and the ever generous Sperry Topsider, which provided stacks of shoes, the distribuion of which closed the day.

The big winners were all from away. First overall and North American Champion as a result was Travis Odenbach from Rochester, NY. Travis had a major Canadian talent, Rossi Mileev of Toronto on his boat. Mileev is the current Canadian Champion, having posted a solid win over 22 other competitors at the Canadians at Port Credit Yacht Club in July. Odenbach edged out John Mollicone from Newport, RI, with a final race second that put the necessary nine boats between their two boats, when Mollicone finished in eleventh, his worst race of the event. In third was three-time World Champion Mauricio Santa Cruz from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who started with three straight bullets but couldn’t find the button again over the course of the last six races. The first Canadian boat was Ted Bartlewski of Toronto’s Drivers Wanted, which finished fifth.

The top local boat was current Canadian Champion Johnny Whynacht’s Sticky Fingers, which came in seventh. Other notable Atlantic Canadian performers included the other current Canadian Champion, Ian Dawson, who’s Craig Noakes helmed Lightning McQueen finished eleventh and young Ted Murphy who hauled around various 50-plus relatives and their friends in the aptly named Juvenile Delinquent to record twelfth overall.

Trophies were given to the top seven finishers:

First

	The new North American Champions were led by Travis Odenbach (second from right) of Rochester, NY, who sailed a consistent series and a clutch final race in Waterlinesystems.com to win by a single point.

Second

	John Mollicone’s runners up in 11th Hour racing held a solid lead going into the regatta’s final day but stumbled just enough to open the door for Odenbach.

Third

	Mauricio Santa Cruz’s three-time World Champions from Brazil looked to be in total control after winning three consecutive races on the regatta’s first day but could not find the groove over the balance of the event as winds lightened and became more erratic.

Fifth (Top Canadian)

	Ted Bartlewski and the Drivers Wanted crew followed American Will Welles to claim the top place among Canadian competitors.

Seventh (Top Atlantic Canadian)

	Following Chris Jankowski from Florida, the top local boat was current Canadian Champion Johnny Whynacht’s Sticky Fingers, which came in seventh.

Perhaps the most telling prize was the Zero to Hero award, which was shared by Ian Dawson and Greg Blunden. who respectively combined a first and an 18th, and a 24 and a win on the last day of racing. I guess winning races trumps others but the computer missed us in Stix and Stones with a 28th followed by a fourth in the regatta’s last two races, which happened to duplicate the identical feat by Rob Sasco in Abracadabra on Day 2. The fact is individual finishes were littered with these types of wild swings. Many members of the eventual top ten recorded one or more races in the twenties and all but the triumphant Odenbach racked up double figures at least once. Some day I want to do a study of whether good races are more likely to follow terrible ones than vice versa but the evidence of the North Americans results is that many sailors must have a really good talk with themselves after they blow one up.

While the shiftiness of the regatta’s last two days definitely played a major role, the balance in the fleet was also notable. It is especially heartening to see many sailors from the local fleets in Atlantic Canada who have taken up J24 sailing over the past few years as an expensive entre to competitive keelboat sailing and are now gybe setting spinnakers and leebowing their competition like the best. Many of these sailors had moments when they popped up near the front and many should be back for more in the future.

Next year’s North Americans will be at the Florida Yacht Club in Jacksonville, FL, beginning November 14 when the event should provide an excellent opportunity for Atlantic Canadians to extend their sailing season by a week. The next Worlds will be earlier in 2012 at Rochester Yacht Club, September 13-21 (seriously). The World Championship has been declared an open event meaning anyone can enter to have a crack at Rochester boy Travis Odenbach as well as most of the top sailors who attended this year’s North Americans.

Final Shifts

	Travis Odenbach of Rochester, NY, (Sail 5256) did what he had to do in the final race to edge past John Mollicone of Newport, RI. (Courtesy of Lynn Gray, Ocean Media Design)

Final Results

1. Travis Odenbach, Waterlinesystems, 37 total pts., 30 net
2. John Mollicone, 11th Hour Racing, 43 total pts., 31 net
3. Mauricio Santa Cruz, Bruschetta, 47 total pts., 36 net

The final day of the North American Championship again brought shifty light winds that tested the ability of all sailors to be consistent. It was probably even tougher than Friday, as a matter of fact. Once again new boats made appearances at the head of the fleet and the sailors who dominated previously struggled to figure out what was going on.

The strongest performer of the day was Travis Odenbach in Waterline Systems, who won the first race playing what appeared to me from my position on the sideline as one of two boats that didn’t make the first race start to be a strong lefthand shift as the wind moved from the west to the south. He was followed by Chris Jankowski in Street Legal and Will Welles in Carolina Girl.

The second race was a bit more complex as good shifts were identifiable to both the left and the right. I can`t provide too many details on this one because the Stix and Stones crew actually sailed and after rounding the windward mark roughly mid-fleet managed to pull up our spinnaker on the inside of our genoa, which gave us a very good look at the bottom end of the fleet a very distant view of the front. I did, however, see the Craig Noakes & Ian Dawson partnership in Lightning McQueen round the windward mark in first after, I believe, working the right. I also know Ted Bartlewski and crew in Drivers Wanted followed at that point in one of the first mark roundings at which two Canadian boats held the top two spots. They apparently held on through the balance of the race followed by Will Welles, who nabbed his second third of the day.

I can give a lot more detail on the final race of the day and the regatta. As I’ve mentioned, my skipper, Erik Koppernaes is a dyed in the wool contrarian. For the third race the bulk of the fleet (i.e., about 25 of 30) lit out for the left side no doubt considering the forecast that the wind would back. We, on the other hand, started by the Committee boat and quickly tacked with a small apology onto our friend Greg Blunden with whom we set out to the west with a couple of other stragglers. As it turned out, Erik was onto something as we watched the boats to the east fade and stall, as we picked up with Greg tucked below us. After Greg tacked to starboard, we waited a bit and tacked ourselves, skipping along just below the starboard tack layline with the entire fleet framed in our genoa window.

We rounded the windward mark in first with Greg on our tail and a good lead over the rest of the fleet. Our boat however is slow. It’s a cottage boat that should be sold to a good family on Grand Lake so they can race it against the Tanzer 22s up there  (it is minimum weight and it has good sails but the bottom needs serious work to avoid being put out to pasture - Ed.). Our crew work also isn’t that smooth. It didn`t take Greg long to catch us after he executed a good gybe set at the offset. We were happy enough to settle for second through the gate in any case. In character, we went left after heading upwind while Greg again went right. We needed to clear our air but Erik also thought it was swinging east and his calculation didn’t appear to be wrong. There was good wind all the way, although Greg’s boat, Adrenaline Rush, did pull away on the right. As I mentioned, our boat is slow and we didn’t consider it to be any shame to lose one place upwind to Travis Odenbach.

The three of us held on downwind but wouldn’t you know the last race each day has five legs. The boat in fourth place as we headed upwind to the right was Will Welles who already had two threes on the day and appeared to have a strong interest in getting another. He worked us up the righthand side of the last windward leg as Adrenaline Rush sailed conservatively and very well to stay between Waterline Systems and the finish line. Greg ultimately finished with a comfortable lead over Travis Odenbach but Will Wells was more than we could handle, beating us with a lovely roll tack to the finish for his third consecutive third on the third day.

From the bigger and admittedly more relevant perspective of the overall regatta results, Odenbach’s pass on us to get into second was critical. The leader going into the last race was John Mollicone, who I have been identifying for two days as Tim Healy for the simple reason that Mr. Healy was the name on the registration form. Whether Mr. Mollicone or Mr. Healy is the current World Champion, I’m not clear, but their boat 11th Hour Racing is damned fast and they held a good lead going into the last day thanks to consistent sailing over the first two days as they managed to be in the top three in all six races.

Day three was, however, a bit rougher as they led off with a twelfth. A sixth in the penultimate race, however, appeared to put them in the driver’s seat as they went into the last race needing only a ninth to retain the lead over Odenbach, who was the only boat within range of them. Unfortunately, as so often seems to happen, what had to happen was exactly what transpired. The 11th Hour team finished in eleventh with Carter White in AL and Chris Jankowski in Street Legal respectively occupying the ninth and tenth places that Mollicone needed to overtake Odenbach. I have no idea how close they all were but Ì’m guessing there wasn’t a lot of distance between them.

The results are preliminary as I’m writing but first day leaders Mauricio Santa Cruz in Bruschetta held on for third through a tie breaker over Will Welles. The top Canadian was Ted Bartlewski in Drivers Wanted, who took fifth. Top Atlantic Canadian was Johnny Whynacht, who brought the crew of Sticky Fingers home in seventh.

See our Results page for the complete official results of the regatta.

Fleet Mixer

	Action got even closer on Day 2 as boats mixed it up in a variety of conditions. (Courtesy of Lynn Gray, Ocean Media Design)

Day 2 Leaders

1. Tim Healy, 11th Hour Racing, 14 total pts., 11 net
2. Mauricio Santa Cruz, Bruschetta, 26 total pts., 15 net
3. Travis Odenbach, Waterlinesystems, 29 total pts., 22 net

The second day of the J24 North Americans on Halifax Harbour taught a couple of good lessons. One is that no one is invincible, another is that you can only be lucky for so long.

For many this morning dawned a bit too early. Plenty went to Durty Nelly’s last night and quite a few, whether they were in the pub or not, seemed to be surprised to find that the schedule called for racing to begin at 10:30 am as opposed to the 11:30 am start used on the first day. Having cruised downtown on Dale Robertson’s massive Isle of Cumbrae with the crews of Durty Nelly and Slam, I should have been among the worst but I was the first among the crew of Stix and Stones to come to the realization (my wife Lorna pointed it out).  Several phone calls and a bunch of hustling got us all together a bit after 9:30 and with several projects leftover from last night, we were the last to pull out from the dock right behind Durty Nelly herself.

As good race committees do, Jay Hooper’s crew were out past McNab’s Island well ahead and did not waste any time getting down to things. The wind was lightish from the southwest and the five-minute sequence started within minutes of 10:30 leaving us a solid minute away when the start gun went. Only the even more unfortunate Spar Wars was behind us. With clarity of purpose that inevitably comes when most of your options are eliminated, we set out to the righthand side of the course and banged the corner for all we were worth. For once, a good decision, as we were soon crossing boats and then reaching the windward mark within sight — for heavens sakes – of Bruschetta, who had gone left and, for once, were not in first. Our skipper, Erik Koppernaes, who is a sailing contrarian if ever there was one, then came up with the brilliant stroke of eschewing the gybe sets  taken by the top end of the fleet and continuing to the left from the offset  mark. Several sharp sailors behind us in the jumbled fleet such as Tony Parker in Bangor Packet and Craig Noakes in Ian Dawson’s Lightning McQueen followed so I figured it must make some sense and lo and behold it did. When we gybed we were up with the leaders in what appeared to be significantly better pressure. For a while I thought we might actually get through the leeward gate in first but I was happy enough when we rounded in sixth, ahead of Bruschetta.

We dropped as low as twelfth from there but pulled off another downwind coup to finish up seventh, while Bruschetta fell to eleventh. I took a couple of pictures of her finishing behind us for posterity. Our next two races were more in character, a 20th, which is our average finish, and a 25th brought on by a broken genoa tack shackle, that amply reflects the state of readiness that you can get a J24 into if you start preparations during lunch hour the day before the regatta and the point at which our luck ran out.

Enough, in any case, about my experiences, which don’t figure significantly in the actual story of the regatta. What our day on Stix and Stones does illustrate, however, is that today was a day for nearly every dog. It was light and shifty in the first race, light to medium and persistently backing in the second race, and all over the damn place in a rising breeze for the third and final race.

Just like last year’s Canadians here in Halifax, the first day leaders in Bruschetta came to earth, with three finishes that would leave us delirious on Stix and Stones, but were not enough to keep them in the lead. The new front runner is the World Champion I forgot, Tim Healy of Newport, Rhode Island. Tim’s 11th Hour Racing recorded two threes followed by a bullet to move four points up on the Brazilians with one drop race. Also having a good day was Travis Odenbach in Waterline Systems, who won the first race of the day and then knocked down a five and a six.

On the whole, the fleet bunched up considerably. Like Stix and Stones many local boats punched into the top ten for a race or two. The outstanding performer of the day was the Squadron’s own Ted Murphy, who is weighed down by several aging friends of mine including his Uncle Mat, who is the club’s Commodore. Ted racked up a 10, 2, 10 record and moved into tenth overall. Another notable performance was by Thomas Barbeau in Navtech.ca, who was the first to the huge port tack lift the settled the day’s second race halfway up the first leg. Thomas and crew horizoned the fleet, recording the first and only victory by a Canadian in the regatta so far. The top Canadian overall though is still Lunenburg’s Johnny Whynacht, who nabbed a third in the last race to move up to sixth from seventh, one place ahead of Navtech.ca.

With boats yoyoing up and down the standings all day and even top boats recording finishes in the teens and twenties, an exciting final day is shaping up. The forecast indicates the weather will continue to be warm and predominantly sunny, although there is a 30 per cent chance of rain and the potential for thunder storms late in the afternoon. Wind is supposed to be strong but dying in the afternoon according to the ever reliable Environment Canada Marine forecast. Seems like a lot of possibilities.

Full results are now posted on our Results page.

Fleet Sees Bruschetta’s Stern

	Start to finish, Bruschetta (BRA 37) stood out from the rest on the first day of competition. (Courtesy of Lynn Gray, Ocean Media Design)

Day 1 Leaders

1. Mauricio Santa Cruz, Bruschetta, 3 total pts., 3 net
2. Tim Healy, 11th Hour Racing, 7 total pts., 7 net
3. Will Welles, Carolina Girl, 11 total pts., 11 net

The first day of racing is over at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron and I’ m proud to say that I can pick a winner when I see one. The only non-North American in the event, the Brazilian crew of Bruschetta has led the way with a perfect sheet of three wins in three races.

From my perspective, handling the string pulling responsibilities on Airborne, I have had glimpses of Bruschetta in every race. She is fast but, much more important, her crew know how to handle her. Airborne, which has been renamed Stix and Stones for the regatta and to protect her resale value, is in 19th and Bruschetta has crossed behind us a couple of times. It doesn’t last long though because the Brazilians know where to tack as well as how to. Each smooth turn launches them into clear air at top speed. A couple of those and they are soon out on their own with Tim Healy and a couple of others snapping at their heels.

Tim Healy is giving a healthy chase. He recorded a couple of seconds in the first two races and added a third in the last race of the day. Also in the running are Will Welles from South Carolina (I saw a palmetto on her stern and I happen to know the state tree of South Carolina) and Tony Parker from Annapolis both of whom had steady top five finishes. Ted Bartlewski of Toronto is the top Canadian in sixth.

Exposure to all these come from aways is revealing to the locals. We have several current and past Canadian Champions registered from Atlantic Canada but the competition is tough. The top local boat is Sticky Fingers helmed by current Canadian Champ, Johnny Whynacht of Lunenburg, who is holding down seventh place. Lisa Ross in Stewie Slamn’it in 29 Seconds or Slam for short rounded the windward mark with the lead in the second race and posted creditable finishes all three times out to put herself and regatta Chair Dale Robertson in ninth.

As we learned at the Canadians last year, one day of dominance is no guarantee but a three-way tie for first, like we had last year, is looking pretty remote. The Brazilians and their brand new boat looked awesome today and it will take quite an effort from Tim Healy or one of the other contenders to reel them in.

The weather today was excellent. The sun shone as predicted and the wind rose to a steady 15 kts from the southwest, also as forecast. Solid for fast sailing but a fair test for everyone involved. Predictions for tomorrow and Saturday are similar, promising good conditions for Bruschetta to continue to shine and others to make whatever challenge they can mount.

	Bruschetta rounds the leeward mark with a comfortable edge. (Courtesy of Lynn Gray, Ocean Media Design)

See our Results page for full results.

We’re Getting Started

I’m writing this post at 6 in the morning on the first competitive day of the 2011 J24 North Americans. Last night was the practice race, which was mixed into the Squadron’s normal Wednesday Night beer can races. I was sailing my J29 and got a few glimpses of a decent fleet of maybe a dozen J24s working out the kinks. The winner was local stalwart and District Chair, Greg Blunden, who wasn’t aware that it is bad luck to win the practice race. He looked pretty fast though, which I would take to be a good omen. Second went to Sean McDermott, who poached a crew member from my boat, a move that was probably consequential since my arch-nemesis Andrew Childs pipped me by 3 seconds for second place. Third, and top away boat, was Lakshman Muthukrishnan, who is getting to know Halifax Harbour quickly.

There were lots of other signs of today’s competition taking shape last night. Boats and people were milling around the yard. Brand new J24 hats and shirts were all over the place (bad luck to wear those in the regatta though Greg).  Still more boats and sails were being measured and screwdrivers were out everywhere to tighten cleats, stanchions, winches, and everything else that gets ignored when you hop into the boat for a club race after work.

Mauricio Santa Cruz’s Bruschetta has been assembled and it sitting next to the tender dock with her name in place on either side. She has a one-piece molded hatch and molded in stands for its winches, which have narrow tops, the better to release pesky genoa sheets for what I am sure are going to be lightning tacks. Mostly, though, neither dirt nor salt has yet to settle on a single part of her.  

I’ve thrown in my lot with the last registrant for the event, Erik Koppernaes. Erik, myself, and local luminaries Terry Booth, Bill Haliburton, and Jesse Surrette all said “What the heck” yesterday afternoon and decided to give it a go. It’s a line-up that would strike fear in competitors at the Dartmouth Yacht Club Opener but is not likely to have kept Mauricio or Tim Healy awake last night. 

We are the anti-Bruschetta. Our boat, Airborne, was pulled yesterday to scrape off the weed that has been growing on her bottom since spring and Terry motored her up from the Bedford Basin (a three-hour tour) yesterday afternoon to be the last boat measured. In the mean time, Erik finished off a set of sails for her. No problem with the boat measurement (we didn’t have time to cheat and it was amazing to see her weigh in right on the minimum after three months in the water) but I understand some of the sails didn’t make it. I think we are going to borrow some replacements or dip into the supply of used sails that Airborne, like all older Js, has in abundance.  

We haven’t done a lot of planning. I got my two-day vacation arranged at 2:30 yesterday afternoon (thank you Stantec Consulting Limited). Being a competitor is a great opportunity though. I know I’m on board with good sailors whatever we end up finishing. We will be in against the best and I am looking forward to seeing the many champions who have registered do their stuff. It’s also the best place to be for my job as star reporter over the next three days. Nothing beats being in the middle (I hope) of things and getting the real flavour of racing.

It looks like it is going to be a lovely day today. The forecast high is 25 degrees (that’s C for our American friends). Tomorrow’s predicted high is 27, which is a scorcher by Halifax standards. Saturday, when we’ll be finishing, is expected to be 25 again. The sun is expected throughout and the wind forecast looks strong. Tonight, Mike Carey from Durty Nelly’s Irish Pub is laying on specials for J24 competitors. It’s a great opportunity to see what attracts 20,000 students to Halifax every year (their parents think it’s an education).

Getting Together

I was down to the Squadron this evening and saw many signs of the 2011 North Americans coming together. Boats are filling up the parking lot. A line up of 24s has formed around the Spar Shed for weighing and measuring, a sail measuring area has been laid out on the shed floor, and a scale is not too far away to measure the competitors. 

A major highlight to me is the newest and most beautiful J24 I have ever seen. It belongs to three-time World Champion Mauricio Santa Cruz, whose crew graciously allowed me to take a few pictures. They told me it came to Halifax in a container on its brand new trailer (there isn’t even any dirt on the tires).  Everything is absolutely perfect and new, and, I’m guessing extremely fast.

	Mauricio Santa Cruz and crew put together the most beautiful J24 I have ever seen. They didn’t appear to need the instructions.

Also decorating the yard are graphics created by Mary Lou Landry, who is an avid J22/J24 sailor, organizing committee member, and top flight graphic design professional. Mary Lou’s talents are on display in North Americans signage throughout the yard printed by our sponsors Precision Atlantic Media Group and on terrific regatta shirts printed by Greg Blunden.

	Greg Blunden models the very sharp regatta shirt he printed with beautiful graphics prepared by Mary Lou Landry.

Mary Lou is working on the Registration Desk tonight and tomorrow with Lorna Flemming. Mary Lou and Lorna established a stellar reputation as regatta registrars at last year’s Canadian Nationals and will be pleased to welcome all competitors to a promising event. We are looking at more than 30 boats and great weather in one of the world’s great sailing venues. Should be good.

	Mary Lou Landry (right) and Lorna Flemming welcome all competitors with another of Mary Lou’s beautiful designs.

Take a Charter

Our preparations are pretty much in place for the North Americans. We have Race Committee, Jury, and Protest Committee members lined up. We have our boats in order and our races scheduled. We also have a great social schedule with breakfasts available daily at the Royal Nova Scotian Yacht Squadron, several evening events leading up to the prize giving. We even have a night on the town arranged at Durty Nelly’s on Argyle Street  in Downtown Halifax. Best of all, as I write and to the best of my knowledge, we have 28 registered competitors with more being added daily.

Our competitors list keeps on adding prominent names. With current World Champion Tim Healy signed up, we have two World Championship winners on the roster. We also have five current or former Canadian Champions and several US Champions, as well as several more top World, US, and Canadian competitors. With the expectation that several more local J24 crews would add to our numbers, we thought we should turn our attention to some crews who may not have realized that the biggest J24 regatta in North America this year will be in Halifax.

We want to make sure that even those who have not made plans can hop into a plane and come to Halifax to sail a competitive J24.  We have three boats available for charter at reasonable prices negotiable with their respective owners. All three are already measured and ready to go. The available charters are Rush Hour (owned by Ross Romney), Jack Flash (Bruce Hancock) and Barely Legal (Jono Reid). Just add sails, water, and steer.

Chester Tester

	No J24s, I appreciate, but this is the look of Chester Race Week. The beauty of the Back Harbour on the night after, before the wind comes up.

Put your best foot forward at the 2011 North Americans – spend the week before getting some great practice in at Chester Race Week, Canada’s greatest keelboat regatta!

The Organizing Authority for the 2011 edition of Chester Race Week has been in touch  to offer a special promotion to all 2011 J24 North American Championship competitors. In an effort to share the experience that is Chester Race Week  with as many J24 sailors as possible, and to offer a great 4-day tune-up event for all North Americans competitors, the Committee is eager to see as many competitors as possible on the beautiful waters of Mahone Bay. The Committee is inviting all competitors registered for the North Americans to register online now for Race Week. Anyone with proof of registration for the North American Championships (to be provided at registration on-site), will be offered a promotional registration fee of just $150 CAD (regular price is $180 so ’ a US$33 saving!).

The promotion is not yet be visible on the Chester Race Week Web site or the registration form, but will be honoured for all J24s currently registered and for all those who register before the deadline. This promotion is not to be considered in conjunction with any other offers. For further information on the event, please visit www.chesterraceweek.com.

To add a few editorial words, Chester Race Week is Canada’s largest keelboat regatta. It takes place annually in the village of Chester on Nova Scotia’s South Shore about 45 minutes drive from Halifax. It is about as quaint a place as exists on the North American continent. It offers excellent sailing (there is a reason that a community with perhaps 1,000 residents hosts the largest sailing event in the country) and some great places to eat, drink, and generally be merry. It is also within hailing distance of the Towns of Mahone Bay and Lunenburg, which also offer renowned maritime tradition (respectively, the home of Nova Scotia’s annual Wooden Boat Festival and the blinking Bluenose, which we put on the back of our Canadian dime) and an abundance of pubs and assorted tourist traps.

Register on or before July 31 for the North Americans and for Chester. Save $130 Canadian dollars (that’s $149.50 with our beloved HST or US$164.45 with the debt crisis and all). Get two weeks of the best J24 sailing available on the planet in 2011.

More to Come

	Mauricio Santa Cruz and crew winning the 2010 J24 Worlds in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Their third trip to the top of the international podium.

We’ve just added a list of entrants in the 2011 North Americans to the site. It’s currently only 13 boats but were not worried for two reasons: we have roughly 25 local boats that haven’t registered yet and who we can count on and the 13 we already have are as stellar a group as has ever been attracted to a J24 event in Atlantic Canada. We got all crazy at nine entrants because we had a couple of former Canadian Champions and several Americans with strong finishes in the US Nationals and the Worlds, topped by Tony Parker, who I’ve slobbered over enough.

Our latest entrants have added even more star power. In addition to Johnny Whynacht, who is current Canadian c0-Champion with Ian Dawson and who we always expected because he is from Lunenburg, one hour from the RNSYS, we now also have Will Welles, the 2010 US Nationals Champion, and (drum roll please) three-time former World Champion, and current Italian and US Nationals Champion, Mauricio Santa Cruz. For the locals it’s an opportunity to enjoy the unique experience that sailing almost uniquely among sports offers: to compete, no matter how much experience and skill you have, against the very best in the business. You can be a pretty good golfer or hockey player and never ever even be in the same room as a Tiger Woods (OK, he’s not the best anymore) or a Wayne Gretzky (neither is he). In sailing, though, a first year sailor can get on the same course with champions and with a bit of luck lead them for a leg (or more likely not).

There’s a chance to give it a try in Halifax this August on a beautiful body of water, under sunny skies, racing against the best in the world.