Wednesday, February 9, 2011

J/24 Pan Am Games Trials

J/24 Pan Am Games sailing team(Tampa, FL)- This week, the Davis Island YC who bills themselves as "The Sailingest Yacht Club South of the Mason Dixon Line (actually, Southeast)" is playing host to three J regattas in a row!  First, they are hosting the J/24 Pan Am Games Trials, then the J/24 Midwinters, then the J/22 Midwinters-- they will be busy catering to the fun-loving, under-demanding needs of J/22 and J/24 sailors who always look forward to their time in the sun in midwinter Florida.

Starting this week, the J/24 Pan Am Games Trials has a "who's who" of recent J/24 Champions (National, North American and World) vying for the honors of heading south to an awesome place to sail the Pan Am Games 2011 off Vallarta Yacht Club in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on the spectacular sailing venue, Bahia de Banderas.  Amongst the leaders will be Charlie Enright from Bristol, RI sailing MOOKIE, Will Welles from Portsmouth, RI skippering FAWN LIEBOWITZ and John Mollicone from Newport, RI racing 11TH HOUR RACING- "the green, environmental boat".

Sailing against the American representative will be Maurizio Santa Cruz from Brazil, a past J/24 World Champion, who will have just come off of some good practice sailing the J/24s at Monaco's Primo Cup last weekend as a qualifier for the J/24 Worlds in Montevideo, Uruguay in September of this year.  For more J/24 Pan Am Games Trials sailing information.   For more J/24 Pan Am Games Mexico sailing information.

Of note are the fact that J/80 and J/24 sailors from Texas have won the Lightning berth for the American team at the Pan Am Games. Jay and Jody Lutz along with foredeck crew Derek Gauger recently won the Lightning Class Pan Am Trial's dominating a very tough group of sailors-- Go get 'em guys!!