Stuart Streuli

Congratulations to Michael Johnson, Joy Okazaki, and the crew of Hot Pursuit for winning the J/24 class at the 2010 Sperry Top-Sider Seattle NOOD Regatta! Both Mike and Joy contribute greatly to the sport and it’s great to see them having this huge success. With 2 bullets and 12 top ten finishes over 3 days and 14 races they were able to out class a deep 21 boat fleet.  Rounding out the top three were Pat Toole  driving 3 Big Dogs and Harry Dursch  at the helm of Self Abuse.

Story here. Results here.

I just received a press release from the Manhattan Yacht Club:

Dennis Conner is inviting teams from around the world to compete in the Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge in New York Harbor on August 20th, 21st, & 22nd 2010. The purpose of this event is to “promote international goodwill through friendly competition.” Racing will be held in New York Harbor on J24 sailboats from the Manhattan Sailing Club located at “Dennis Conner’s North Cove” in Lower Manhattan. Racing in New York Harbor will create memories of a lifetime as competitors sail past the Statue of Liberty and under the skyline of Manhattan.

We invite you to spread the word and invite teams to come and participate in the Fourth Annual Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge. Attached is an information packet. If you have any questions, please contact Emily Whipple directly at (212) 945-4069 or via email at Emily@myc.org.

Attachment: Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge 2010

ESPN will also be carrying the event:

For the first time in its programming history, ESPN360.com — ESPN’s 24/7 broadband sports network — will carry the oldest sporting trophy event and sailing’s most prestigious regatta and match race, the 33rd America’s Cup. The best of three races duel will take place live from Valencia, Spain beginning Monday, Feb. 8th at 3:45 a.m. ET. Race 2 is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 10th and — if necessary — Race 3 on Friday, Feb. 12th, both at 3:45 a.m. ET.

This should be good!

Shown at a recent measurement session at Kvichak Marine Industries are, from left, Scott Milne, Measurer Noel Morgan, Richard Demmler, Measurer Mike Johnson and Keith Whittemore. Milne's and Demmler's boats were being measured, and Whittemore, also a J/24 owner, is a partner at Kvichak and provided the space for the boats.

[source: CYC Seattle]

In a cavernous construction space at Kvichak Marine Industries in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, measurers from J/24 Fleet 26 are hard at work.

It is Thanksgiving weekend, and three boats are lined up on trailers inside the big shed, where they have been packed with heaters and fans for a couple of days to suck out the moisture before they are weighed. A fourth boat, already measured, is parked on the street.

Mike Johnson and Noel Morgan, armed with tape measures, templates and weighing scales, are climbing all over the boats, inspecting for measurement integrity and taking both notes and photos which they will later add to a database to track each of the about 30 active boats in the Seattle fleet. Measuring all of them will take several more weekends and countless hours of work, all in preparation for the J/24 North American Championships, to be held on Puget Sound in May.

Full article here.

Link: www.louisvuittontrophy.com

New Wave during better days.

Top Bermuda boat “New Wave” has sunk:

A sailboat, which sank yesterday in the Great Sound area may be a hazard for other boat users, advises Bermuda Maritime Radio.

The vessel, a J24 sailboat called New Wave, belonging to the Royal Hamilton Dinghy Club, was involved in a race when the boat unexpectedly capsized.

No one was injured and there were no reported problems with crew on board.

Bermuda Harbour Radio could not say exactly what caused the boat to capsize, however a spokesperson explained that a harsh wind of 10 to 15 knots passed by the boat unexpectedly around 11 a.m. or noon yesterday.

Harsh winds of 10 to 15 knots?? There must be more to this story. The article from the Royal Gazette is here.

At least she lies in realtively shallow water and will likely be raised:

The owners of the boat or the club are expected to raise the vessel this week, in fact there were already divers in the water yesterday afternoon looking for lost items.

For info on how to keep your J24 from sinking (always a good thing) check out the links under “Safety” on the links page.

Results here.