Congratulations to Mark Hillman on Sokokumaru and Tony Parker on Bangor Packet, Chesapeake sailors who placed eighth and 10th respectively, at the J/24 World Championships hosted September 21-26 by Sail Newport in Newport, RI. Annapolis sailor Shawn Murray on Roo and Hampton sailor Ron Medlin on Bash also competed in the five-day event that attracted 69 boats.
With just a few points between Will Welles Cougar (Portsmouth, RI, USA) and Mauricio Santa Cruz Bruschetta (BRA) there was no room for error in the final two races . Welles had used his throw-out on Thursday, so the only way to assure a win was to stay ahead. And that’s what he did. Sailing with Nick Turney, Richard Bowen, Daniel Rabin and Luke Lawrence, Welles sealed the deal with a 2, 5 to win the day and the World Championship with 38 points. Mauricio Santa Cruz’s Bruschetta (BRA) settled for second place with a total of 55 and points, while John Mollicone’s Team Helly Hanson (USA) finished in the show position with 70 points.
Welles tipped his hat to his team, crediting their crew work in addition to a little luck throughout 10 races over five days. “The whole mental aspect is huge,” Welles said. “There’s a reason why everyone on the team gets a trophy at the end of this.” Cougar had a solid week, but notched a 46 in Race 7. “We had a tough day Thursday, and it felt like the dream might be over.” Welles praised Danny for picking the team up after that score. “He said let’s not let it snowball. Go out there and keep fighting.” This led to a rebound in the next contest. “When one of us was lagging behind, we just threw a hand and pulled him up.”
Friday’s weather was sunny with wind speed from 10 to 12 kts out of the northeast. In the first race of the day, Welles finished second to Mollicone, while Greg Griffin’s Team Tarheel (USA) placed third. Matias Seguel’s Semi Pro (CHI) closed the regatta with a victory in race ten. Luis Olcese’s Scaramoush (PER) and Shigetoshi Shirahama’s White Squall (JPN) rounded out the top three.
