Japanese Crew in Lead After Day One of J/24 World Championship in Boltenhagen, Germany

Light winds dominated the first races of the J/24 World Championship. The key to success was to find free winds and to sail the boat as smooth as possible. Fumiya Kato (JPN 4886) showed the greatest skills on the water. He is on top of the leaderboard after two races, followed by Ian Southworth (GBR 5219) and Ignazio Bonanno (ITA 416). Not only the crews, but also the Principal Race Officer had to find the right wind to get the fleet of 56 participants under way. After a short postponement, the first race of the J/24 Worlds was started at 14:00 hrs in the bay of Boltenhagen. In very light wind conditions (5-10 knots from NW), Team Rotoman (GER 5420) helmed by Tobias Feuerherdt won the first race. In the second race of the day, the J/24 fleet showed their favor for very aggressive starts. After two general recalls, PRO Klaus Lahme raised the black flag. The second race was also won by a German team: Hungriger Wolf (GER 5316) helmed by Johann Huhn. “We had a very bad start into the day with a position in the fourties,” said Johann Huhn. “But in the second race, a good and clear start enabled us to move with the wind shifts. To stay in touch with the top 10, however, our performance needs to become more consistent. The wind is expected to pick up and to blow more from the shore, which means bigger wind shifts and even more tactical racing.” Overall, the Japanese crew Lull & Hachi with helmsman Fumiya Kato (JPN 4886) did a great job on the water. With a second and a third place, the crew of six is on top of the fleet, divided by a gap of 7 points from Ian Southworth (GBR 5219). After a hot and sunny day on the water, the crews enjoyed Caribbean flair at the Mount Gay beach party organized by the German sailmaker Clown Sails. Racing continues through Friday for the entrants representing Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, France, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Peru, Sweden and the USA. Complete regatta information and results may be found at http://www.j24worlds2015.com/Home/. All footage is free for editorial use. Please use “Pepe Hartmann/J/24 worlds” as a credit. Video footage for embedding on your website or Facebook fan Page can be found on www.facebook.com/j24worlds2015. Race Tracking to follow the races live: http://www.tractrac.com/index.php?page=eventpage&id=592