It’s a while since the day many will talk about for years to come, yes Saturday of the 2023 J24 Nationals at Cronulla Sailing Club – big waves and lots of wind. Plenty of carnage, plenty of tall tales and memories.
Capturing those memories was our intrepid photographer, Margaret Fraser-Martin and some of those pics are just amazing.
For example, this one doesn’t have the action of some, but just look at that swell in front of ‘Sailmates’, this lends new meaning to sailing uphill(s)!
You won’t see many J24 regattas with that size swell coming through, can’t imagine leaving the marina if that was coming into Sandy!
Margaret has a huge folder full of pics – most that haven’t come to light yet and are available here for the first time. Some are pics of the fleet (Margaret likes to get multiple boats in shots for more action and scale), some are individual yachts. I commend these pictures to you, and suggest you find your boat and order a copy. Margaret is offering high-res files of each for just $40. You’ll love an action shot and you will be supporting Margaret in her work which she did for us without any guarantee of remuneration. Helping her, helps you and us in the future if we can get her back for the next one.
Simon Grain, Nat Sec
Have a look at these amazing pics and here’s how to order.
High resolution pictures are available, $40.00, for a digital file for printing. Email (yachtphotos@yahoo.com) with event name and photo number. Photo credit is always needed wherever used in public (posters, social media, websites etc.).
A bit about Marg Fraser-Martin – Passionate Life Photographer
My passion is for taking photos of people being engaged and passionate about their sailing. Capturing that moment in time when they are oblivious to the rest of the world and are totally involved in the task at hand and joy of life. The moment that is not posed.
This is about people who are competing in sailing and juggling all other aspects of life.
I want my photos to be a positive image to get more people in front of my lens, having fun, showing their friends and families. What they did on the weekend, and it is awesome.
To achieve this goal, I have been able to combine two of my favourite skills/qualifications – photography and sailing. Capturing the thrill, the teamwork, and the sheer joy of sailing.
A lot has changed since I started taking sailing photography and my area of expertise and interest has expanded. I now get involved in many Charity Events. Charity Yacht Regatta’s, Charity Balls, Golf Days, Eastern Creek Car Racing, Charity dinners and luncheons.
The last time we towed our boats up the Hume for a national championship in Cronulla, was in 2017. Jack was a new owner of Two Dogs and Sailpac would take out the podium position. This time around, we had a strong contingent from Victoria lining up to compete – Bruschetta IV, Jab, Jet, Joyride, Poker Face, and Two Dogs (plus Brendan Lee jumping on to helm the NSW boat Kaotic).
While some had left their boats to marinate on Magoo’s infamous lawn after the NSW States in November, others made the trek north in the first few days of 2023.
Racing was scheduled to run from Thursday 5th to Sunday 8th January 2023 with an aim to complete 12 races. Hughie had other ideas. Racing for Thursday was cancelled the day before and replaced with a lunchtime welcome BBQ by our gracious hosts Cronulla Sailing Club.
On Friday, crews fronted up to CSC only to eventually have racing abandoned for a second day due to the weather.
Suddenly the 4-day event had been compressed into a 2-day-er and the pressure was on. The sacred drop was no longer a given when there were no guarantees how many races would (or could) be completed.
For those following along on the J24 Victoria Facebook page, you would have seen some bloody impressive photos (Thanks Marg’s Yacht Photos) from Saturday. There was a bit on. While the stories on shore all varied, there was consensus that the conditions were at the upper limits for J24 sailing. See below some of the more spectacular photos from our brilliant photographer.
In Race 1, Convicts Revenge, Innamincka and Sailpac showed us how it was done, taking out the first three places respectively. Among the top 10 spots, Team SYC placed 4th (Two Dogs), 7th(Bruschetta VI) and 8th (Jab). Unfortunately, Poker Face had to retire after a spectacular wave surf, brisk gybe and unfortunate bump to the head. They were one of four retirements from the race with El Fideldo breaking their mast in two places.
In Race 2, the conditions remained challenging with gusts peaking beyond 30 knots at times. Five SYC boats started race 2 but only 4 made it to the finish line. Two Dogs were undone by gear failure as their rudder snapped in two on the downwind leg, resulting in some impressive (and involuntary) circle work. Bruschetta, Jet and Jab all secured top 10 places in 5th, 7th, and 9th place respectively.
In the last race for the day (Race 3), there were 5 SYC starters with Bruschetta taking out 4th place, Jet in 8th place and Jab in 10th.
Sunday, the day that would make and break hopes and dreams of qualifying for worlds in Greece later in 2023. The sun was shining and with all crew back on board, Poker Face were back in the action along with El Doggo (Two Dogs + El Fideldo’s rudder) bringing our SYC starters back to 6 boats.
As if the anticipation of getting underway wasn’t enough, sailors endured three false starts (one general recall and two postponements during the sequence) before the dreaded black flag raised its head in Race 4. The stakes were on. All boats played by the rules with a clear start. Poker Face were early leaders of the race with a cracking start, before Two Dogs pulled into lead around the top mark the second time around. They maintained the lead, finishing 27 seconds before second place. Bruschetta weren’t far behind in 3rd place with Poker Face (8th) and Jab (10th) also placing in the top 10.
Race 5, there were some headsail swaps and Team SYC were getting in the groove. Bruschetta finished 2nd followed by Two Dogs (3rd), Jet (7th), Jab (8th), Poker Face and Joyride
The last race of the regatta was Race 6. Completing this race would qualify all boats for one drop which was always going to play havoc with the overall places. Jab finished strongly in 3rd place, followed by Two Dogs (6th), Jet (7th), Bruschetta (8th), Poker Face and Joyride.
Despite moments of brilliance across the board, ultimately our friends up north took out the podium spots with Sailpac in 1st place, Convicts Revenge in 2nd and Tinto in 3rd. See full results here >>
Congratulations to all participants. It was a tricky regatta in conditions that many would not have experienced before on a J24. Also, congratulations to Bruschetta and Two Dogs for qualifying for the 2023 J24 World Championships in Greece.
Special mention to Joyride who finished every race in their first interstate national championships. No mean feat!
Thank you to the RO (John Allan), Cronulla Sailing Club, and all those who made us feel at home over the last week.
Over and out from this (slightly biased) observer.
The Nationals are racing at us.
The recent NSW States at Cronulla was a great dry run for those sailing and planning to do the Nationals. Learning new lessons and local tactics and relearning what should have been remembered. The weather was light and fluky at times, patchy and with a low swell rolling through.
Top 5 were: Convicts, Stamped Urgent, Tinto, Ace, Jet.
I have been asked about the Nationals NoR by a few people – here is the info you need. (It’s a little hard to find if you are not used to the layout of the info on the CSC site.
Go to the CSC website
Click on J24 Nationals
To enter click on the ‘J24 National Championships 2023 Entry’ link
To get the NoR, click on the ‘Event ONB’ (Online Notice Board) and you can download the NoR there
You will also need to fill out the Onboard Crew Declaration.
Entries close on 28th December at 5pm so get them in or cop a late entry fee.
As always entering sooner helps the organisers with things like organising volunteers, catering and planning the regatta management in general.
Let’s hope the weather cooperates and it will be a great regatta
We are organising an order to build some new masts and have interest from an number of members.
The cost is yet to be determined as it is based on the number of masts built, but you could expect the cost to be around $6K, this includes basic fittings, spreaders and anodising.
It is also possible that there may be some good second hand masts available at around half the new cost
If you are interested in either option please call Simon on 0413 870 046
North Sails Experts Claim 2022 J24 World Championship
Emily Stokes
There are plenty of clichés in sailboat racing, and perhaps one of the best is, “you’re only as good as your last race.” And what exactly does this mean? We’ll get to the answer eventually, but let’s begin our story with Mike Marshall and his teammates on American Garage—trimmer David Hughes, tactician Allan Terhune, pit Jeff Hayden and bowman Rod Favela—as they are pacing near the signal boat at the J/24 World Championships in Corpus Christi, Texas, having been dinged with a black flag on the fourth and critical penultimate day of racing.
Ok, you can see this story as a bit of an ad for North, but if you dig more deeply into the content, thee are some huge lessons on J sailing here. Read more …
Congratulations to Mike Marshall, with crew Dave Hughes, Allan Terhune, Jeffrey Hayden and Rod Favela for winning the 2022 J/24 World Championship
Corpus Christi Yacht Club has a rich history of running world class regattas. ‘We have great wind, a short distance from dock to race circle, easy access, and South Texas hospitality. Our PRO, Mark Foster, is a past J22 World Champion and three-time winner of the St. Petersburg Trophy for race management. We may be a little harder to get to, but we’ll make it worth your while! ‘
‘We hope you enjoy your time here and we look forward to hosting y’all!’
Well that said, the Worlds are on and if you want to keep track of the racing here is a link to the results page
The fleet approaches the bottom mark in brilliant sunshine on Sunday – Photo Cam Way
J Talk Vic …. That’s a wrap
2022 J24 Victorian State Championships
It was with great expectation that 12 boats (11 Victorian & one interstate raider) hit the blue waters of Port Phillip Bay in what turned out to be glamour sailing conditions at the weekend.
A barmy 24-28 degrees, the water was flat & the wind was 6-10 from the south on Day 1 and then 6-12 from the North on Day 2…magic.
The script:
With newer skippers pressing hard and in good form and an intestate raider ACE attempting to take the spoils, interest was at an all time high
After the first two races on Day 1 it seems the script was written with ACE dominating Race 1 & 2 with two bullets taking with JAB and Baile de Luna filling the minor placings, the script seemed set with ACE by how far?
Huey obviously had other ideas, the more things change the more they stay the same!
This is exactly what happened next.
As if the clock was suddenly wound back a couple of decades the Title became an exclusive rumble in the jungle between two J24 Heavy weights.
To see Mr J24 himself, ably supported by Angels (& Bosley – James) take on the Grain Hermitage (apparently it’s a specially brewed bourbon) along with JET’s Flight crew, dominate and battle out the next six races was truly a sight to behold.
With the exception of a brief interlude in Race 6 where Baile De Luna took the chocolates, all other bullets were shared between Bruschetta IV (3 wins and nothing over a 4th to count) 16pts in 1st, and JET (2 wins and three 2nds, but carrying a 7th) 18pts in 2nd place, those two boats dominated the regatta.
Despite some blinding moments by Haywire, JForce and Joyride (winner of PHS) the rest of the fleet was lead in, many points behind, by the consistent JAB, the best of the rest finishing 3rd.
The Dogs made a late charge on day 2 slipping into 4th place and ACE battled hard at the end to finish 5th on count back
A heartfelt thanks to our outgoing President Warren Campbell on all his hard work over the last couple of years, to the SYC Race management crew for getting 8 superbly timed races in and of course to Kylie and Crew from Haywire for the wonderful catering, Nathan for the awesome drone footage and John Neville for his caring, empathetic approach whilst handing out trophies and raffle prizes.
Congratulations to our podium places:
One Design
1. Bruschetta IV ( 22 years between drinks, I bet this one tasted good!)
Big news for the J24 fleet at Sandy
Our fleet is growing ….. we have 5 new boat owners – three of them in the last 2 weeks. With over 20 boats our fleet is the largest in the country and is a strong and supportive community for both owners and crew.
We welcome our new owners –
Geoff Stuart AUS 2632
Daniel Drummond AUS 4474
Daniel Gallagher AUS 4457
Glenn Evans AUS 4470
Eduardo Sobelski AUS 4787
Sandy also has a busy racing calendar for the rest of this summer season
Upcoming Events are:
Sail Sandy 26/27 Feb
We have many local boats racing and Dave West from NSW will be racing with a hybrid ACE/Jet crew
AGM & New Boat Owners Welcome
Friday 1 April 2022 6pm
The J24 Committee would like to invite all new boat owners and the existing J24 Community along to the AGM
To be followed soon after by a new boat owners head wetting at SYC bar!
The J24 class is alive and well in Australia. Under threat of another Covid shutdown that has claimed the S80 and SB20 class regattas at Sandringham, the J24 class got away with a successful 12 race National Championship Regatta over 4 predominantly light and sunny (and stormy) days.
Our ‘new normal’ SE breeze stayed in for the regatta, with days one, two and four being in the 8 – 12 knot range with flat water and glamour sailing conditions, although extremely shifty, catching out many experienced crews. Day three was cloudy and a stronger 12 – 16 knot breeze that saw some competitors on jibs for the first two races, but most changed back to genoas as the breeze backed off in the afternoon.
The fleet did suffer a few covid losses in some crews and we had to find new people at the last minute and during the regatta to keep boats fully crewed.
Sixteen boats entered and finished the regatta, with a strong five boat representation from NSW and the balance being from our local fleet, the standard was as high as any we have seen in the last decade. At least six boats were sailing their first Nationals and were well represented across the finishing places, so yes the fleet is alive and well with a bright future.
There were the usual amazing stories in boat preparation and delivery, with one of the Sydney boats having to change drivers when Terry got called home with too many Coronas in the family and then Gardo having some night-time nav problems running into a tree and wiping out the pulpit and foredeck on the second half of the trip south. Still it was repaired urgently by JP, one of our excellent shipwrights at Sandy. Jack Felsenthal keenly preparing one boat only to find out it needed major work, so changing to ‘Sidetracked – Bandit’ and then finally succumbing to Covid in the family house after the first day. A great young skipper and keen, taking out a 4th in the 3rd race on the first day. Sometimes the luck just isn’t with you ! Despite this ‘Sidetracked – Bandit’, along with many other boats suffering from crew being ‘pinged’ as close contacts, the true ‘J24 Community spirit’ shined through where swapping/drumming up additional crew allowed all boats to see out the regatta!
So, how did it all turn out?
Tight, very tight and not sorted till the last race. For most of the regatta the top five were within five points of each other, so it could have gone a number of different ways right up till the end. Of course, there are some hard luck stories, mostly from second place down you might say, but in reality three first time competitors finished in the top five, with a total of 3 race wins going to two of the top three newbies. A real sign of up and coming and new talent to the class. Another sign of commitment was the number of new sails being pulled out. Investment in the class !
Steve Wright and the crew of ‘Tinto’
With some of the old guard finishing down the list a bit, and the competition being fierce all the way to the back, the podium was finally taken by new National President and sometime contender to the throne Steve Wright and crew on ‘Tinto’. Only three points behind was long time and multiple national champion Sean Kirkjian with the very recently damaged and repaired ‘Sailpac’. Third place was the very aptly ‘Covid’ named ‘Jab’, sailed by the very able Warren Slater and crew.
Places four and five were taken by newbies Adam Keys-Tilley in ‘Baile de Luna’ and Jack Fullerton in ‘Two Dogs’, with the long-time Victorian ‘Mr J24’ skipper and multiple nationals winner Hugo Ottaway in sixth on ‘Bruschetta VI’. Newly crowned NSW State champ Dave McKay in ‘Stamped Urgent’ only came in 7th. See how tough it was !
OK, so the rest of the rabble fought it out somewhere back there. Probably got hard luck stories and showed flashes of brilliance or good luck. Not covering them here in the OD placings, except to say they are the stuff of future or past champions and we love and respect their engagement and good company. They are the vital strength of the J24 class in Australia. Yes, I am one of them this year !
Close finishes shows a high standard of racing
Of course, this all changes in the Zimmer frame competition where the accent is on providing a level playing field for the fleet. Richard Taylor has done a maaaagnificent job of preparing his boat ‘Haywire’ and rightly took out the PHS section with four wins out of the twelve races. Somehow Dave McKay contrived to fall into second in between drinks and Mark Foster, a long time Sandy skipper in ‘Gridlock’ took out third.
On behalf of the Vic Assoc, John ‘Firecracker’ Neville once again conducted the prizegiving in his usual inimitable, enjoyable and politically incorrect style. Great job John ‘well played you’ – don’t go anywhere !
The race management team led by RO Chris Waters did a great job in the shifty breezes to get 3 races in on the first day before a huge thunderstorm, one race on the second day just before another huge thunderstorm trashed the racecourse and then four races a day on the remaining two days. Twelve in all.
Off the water, we had to make allowances for the corona problem again with staff shortages, so most of the action was held outside in the newly updated Ken King Centre. But with a bar and cold drinks at the centre of the action it wasn’t too hard to endure.
These Nationals were the qualifying regatta for the Worlds in Corpus Christi in Texas this year, but it doesn’t look like anyone wants to brave the covid travel problems. However next year’s Nationals are the qualifying regatta for the Worlds in Greece in 2023 and it looks like there is a large amount of interest to travel to there. That means the next Nationals at Cronulla in January 2023 will be a huge regatta. There are around seven boats with trailers in Vic and I think we would see most of those boats making the trip to the Shire for a little paddle in the ocean with the Med in mind. Woo hoo !
But before you all rush off to the travel agent, we have two great regattas happening at Sandy soon, Sail Sandy 19-20 February and then the Vic States 26-27 March, and with some NSW boats staying down and potentially more coming, you can bet it’s another couple of tough regattas. So put them both in your diary. The Vic Association usually puts on Coronas for that – the cold kind !
Our thanks to Sandringham YC for putting on the regatta under difficult circumstances, thanks to all the volunteers that made it possible, thanks to the Vic Association for getting it across the line and thanks to all the competitors for getting out on the track and making it a great and tough regatta. You know who you are – well done.
Emily Stokes
