Enthusiasm for the J/24 Class was still running high after the opening ceremony and flag parade to open the 41st J/24 World Championship when racing got underway Tuesday in hot and sunny Miami, Florida. The 80 teams had to wait out a two-hour onshore postponement while the seabreeze kicked in at 8-10 knots. After two races, three teams are tied at 7 points: Rossi Milev’s Clear Air (1,6 on the day), Chris Stone’s Velocidad (5,2) and Keith Whittemore’s Furio (4,3). Eighty teams from 19 nations (Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Great Britain, Grenada, Hungary, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States) are scheduled for 10 races through Saturday. Milev, 2017 J/24 World Champion and winner of the first contest, summarized his starting strategy, “We started just above the mid-line boat. There were a couple of boats we barely lived with, and then we saw something on the left. It was nice pressure, and more about the wind than the five-degree shift.” Milev and Mike Ingham’s Nautalytics traded the lead until Clear Air passed them on the second downwind for the victory. Todd Fedyszyn’s Spoony Tactics followed in third. Tony Parker’s Bangor Packet and Stone were launched on the fleet in race two, when winds decreased slightly. Whittemore placed third, lining up the three-way knot for first. Photos from event photographer PhotoBoat are available at https://www.photoboatgallery.net/2019j24worldspressphotos. Complete event details may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=5893. Follow on-the-water updates at the International J/24 Class Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ij24ca/).
International Class Association
