In the final three races of the J/24 North American Championship, John Mollicone’s Sparcraft posted scores of 1,2,3 to leap from third place to first and claim the 2023 title with 25 net points. With team Geoff Becker, Dan Borrer, Rich Bowen and Dan Rabin, the Rhode Island-based skipper now holds three J/24 North American trophies, after back-to-back wins in 2012 and 2013. Aidan Glackin’s Mental Floss compiled a stellar series including four bullets, but a tough last race left them in second place overall with 28 points. Mike Stasko’s Redline topped the 12-boat Corinthian division and placed third overall with 32 net points. The crew was comprised of Aaron Holland, Roy Ingham, Gavin Smith and Austin Zauner. Rounding out the top three all-amateur teams were Dave Constants’ Blitz and Steve Callison’s Whiskey River. Nine races were completed during the Championship, with one discard. Sandusky Bay conditions Sunday again saw sunny skies, warm temperatures and breeze at 10-12 knots. The day’s race winners were Mollicone, Glackin and Josh Kerst’s Instant Karma.
Top Five overall:
- Sparcraft, John Mollicone – 1 -9 -4 -2 -3 -[14] -1 -2 -3 ; 25
- Mental Floss, Aidan Glackin – 11 -6 -5 -1 -1 -1 -2 -1 -[18] ; 28
- Redline, Mike Stasko – 2 -4 -1 -4 -4 -2 -6 -[11] -9 ; 32
- Instant Karma, Josh Kerst – 9 -[11] -9 -3 -2 -6 -4 -7 -1 ; 41
- Fawn Liebowitz, Bill Fastiggi – 3 -2 -6 -6 -5 -8 -15 -[19] -6 ; 51
Twenty-eight teams competed at Sandusky Sailing Club in Sandusky, Ohio USA from August 10-13. Complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=15584, and photos are available on the International J/24 Class Facebook page.