J/24 World Championship 2024 at the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle - Day 0
by Jay Leon 2 Oct 11:00 NZDT
1-5 October 2024
J/24 World Championship in Seattle - Practice race © Dennis Pearce
Sailboat racing is a sport that often suffers at mother nature's hand, and everyone knows it.
In 2022 the race organizers nightmare came true in Monaco when a major world championship regatta went four days without any wind before getting just enough on the final day for the minimum three races required. Everyone sitting and waiting those four days had already spent the time and money and effort to be there. There were no refunds.
Yesterday in Seattle, after years of effort and hundreds of thousands of dollars invested, mother nature smiled and delivered spectacular conditions. 56 teams from 11 nations had their J/24s on the water for a practice race in sunshine and 10 knots of wind from the north. Race officers and international judges successfully tested an innovative new GPS starting system and self-propelled racecourse marks.
And at the opening ceremony, Ken Workman, 5th generation Great-Grandson of Chief Seattle, welcomed everyone to the Seattle 2024 J/24 World Championship presented by Beecher's Handmade Cheese.
Today the competition begins, and the scores start to count. The J/24 World Championships have been held every year non covid year since 1981 in iconic international venues including Sydney Harbor Australia, Newport, RI, and Lake Garda, Italy. Competing in Seattle are sailors that have won before, been on the podium but not at the top, and many that are having their first "Worlds" experience.
As the scores roll in, watch for Mike Ingham from Rochester, NY. He has two times finished 2nd and once 3rd in prior World Championships. On his team is Marianne Schoke, who was sailing with Seattle's own Keith Whittemore when they won the worlds last year in Greece. Speaking of Rochester boats, keep an eye on Travis Odenbach's team on Honeybadger.
Travis and team narrowly beat Mike Ingham at the US National Championship last month and have also been in the top three in prior worlds, but not in the top spot. Just imagine these teams drag racing while trailering their boats on Interstate 90 - 2,683 miles from Rochester to Seattle.
If you want to follow Seattle teams, Kurt Dammeier on Amuse Bouche finished 3rd at the US Nationals last month, and on his boat is Ron Rosenberg, who was on Larry Klein's winning worlds team in Kingston Ontario in, wait for it, 1989! Mike Goldfarb and his War Canoe team won the Western Regional Championships last month here in Seattle. On his team is Mark Brink, who placed 3rd in the Laser World Championship in 1982.
Also from Seattle, don't forget Mark Laura, a collegiate hall of fame recipient, and former J24 North American Champion.
Don't forget Nobuyuki Imai and his team on Siesta, one of the four boats from Japan. The Siesta team was not napping at the US Nationals when they finished 4th.
The outlook for the week includes a bit of everything. Wind from the north, wind from the south, sunshine and a bit of rain. But the huge effort to put the event together and to get here is in the rear-view mirror and ahead we expect some great racing.
Event website: www.j24worldsseattle.org