My last event for the summer sailing season was J24 Worlds hosted by Sail Newport, with the racing area 5 miles offshore of Brenton Point. There were over 70 boats competing from all over the world in 5 days of racing. I was on the water for Day One and it was quite the new experience. With a strong 15 knot northwesterly breeze all day and huge 6-10 foot seas from the south, there was no refuge from the chop and swell.
The class requested a W5 course, which meant two and a half times around the race course with a finish at the top of the course, as opposed to the usual finishing where you started. Two races were completed at about 80 minutes each, and for those of us at the bottom of the race course catching the action at the start and gate roundings, there was also a lot of waiting around and nothing to take your mind off the huge ocean swell rolling the boat underneath you. Just about all of the Race Committee felt seasick, with several of us succumbing to the incessant offshore conditions.
After a long day out on the water I was very pleased with what I managed to capture from my relatively stationary position at the leeward gate. See all the shots in the J24 Viewing Gallery!
The class requested a W5 course, which meant two and a half times around the race course with a finish at the top of the course, as opposed to the usual finishing where you started. Two races were completed at about 80 minutes each, and for those of us at the bottom of the race course catching the action at the start and gate roundings, there was also a lot of waiting around and nothing to take your mind off the huge ocean swell rolling the boat underneath you. Just about all of the Race Committee felt seasick, with several of us succumbing to the incessant offshore conditions.
After a long day out on the water I was very pleased with what I managed to capture from my relatively stationary position at the leeward gate. See all the shots in the J24 Viewing Gallery!
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