J/24 World Championship at Corpus Christi Yacht Club - Day 3
by Julie & Christopher Howell 21 Jul 2022 11:58 NZST
July 14-22, 2022
After the first race on Wednesday (Race 5) at the J/24 World Championship hosted by Corpus Christi Yacht Club in Texas USA, Paul Foerster's Grand Slam 2 and Mike Marshall's American Garage were tied for the top position. But in Race 6, Foerster nailed a bullet, giving him 10 net points.
The discard race has now come into effect, allowing Foerster to drop a 7. Marshall's American Garage is in close range with 14 net points for second place. Nobuyuki Imai's Siesta moved up to third overall with 17 net points. The fourth and fifth spots are still quite tight: John Mollicone's New England Ropes (19 points) and Keith Whittemore's Furio (20 points). Foerster also leads the 27-boat Corinthian division, ahead of Imai's Siesta and James Freedman's LOL.
The racecourse was reduced Wednesday to four legs but still at 1.45 nautical miles. The Black Flag was out again with an all-clear start for Race 5. Winds were 18-22 knots, gusting to 24. Code flag Yankee was displayed onshore and on signal boat, requiring all competitors to wear life jackets. Race 6 continued under Black Flag at 1.5 nautical miles, with one boat BFD. The breeze held at 18-22 knots as gusts increased to the mid/upper 20s.
Marshall's American Garage earned his second consecutive victory in the day's initial contest, with Imai and William Fastiggi's Fawn Liebowitz rounding out the top three. Foerster's Grand Slam 2 won the race to the dock, trailed by Fastiggi and Travis Odenbach's Bogus.
Thirty-eight boats are representing Argentina, Chile, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Trinidad and the United States. Racing continues through Friday. A complete list of all J/24 World Champions can be found here.
Complete event details may be found here.