Monday, August 22, 2016

J/22 Worlds Preview

J/22s sailing offshore (Kingston, ONT, Canada)- The world-famous CORK International Sailing Week will also be playing host to the 2015 J/22 World Championship, held in Kingston, Ontario and sailed on the eastern end of Lake Ontario from August 19th to 25th, 2016.  The regatta is renown for its steady weather conditions in late summer, the natural geography forms a perfect “cone” at the end of the lake, generating stable sea breezes in the 12-18 kts range from the southwest.  There are forty-six teams participating from Canada (15 boat), the Cayman Islands (three teams) and the USA (28 crews).

The field of competitors is full of past North American, World and National Champions from all three countries.  The Canadian contingent hopes to have some local sailors at the top of the leaderboard, such as Trevor Collins, Jim Gillis, Ron Harris, Breck McFarlane, Stephen Jones and Bernard Le Duc.  The Cayman Islands group will have the Cayman Island Sailing Club Commodore, Mike Farrington, leading the pack; he’s placed 3rd in the J/22 South African Worlds and has won the J/22 Jammin’ Jamaica event several times.

The Americans have a posse of gunslingers in their midst, including Mark Stuhlmiller, JR Maxwell, Kevin Doyle, Brad Julian, Marvin Beckmann, Jeff Todd, Terry Flynn (recent World Champion), Travis Odenbach, Chris Princing, Mike Marshall (recent Charleston Race Week J/22 winner), Zeke Horowitz, and Chris Doyle.  Rumor has it that Al Terhune’s DAZZLER (another recent World Champion) will be participating as well.  For more J/22 World Championship sailing information