Porto Cervo, 11th June 2024. Everything is set at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda to welcome owners and crews of the J/24 one-design class for their European Championship in the waters off Porto Cervo. Proceedings will get underway tomorrow, 12 June, with a practice race followed by the Skipper's Briefing and Welcome Cocktail, and conclude on Sunday 16 June. At the moment the competitors are busy with measurement checks and completing enrolment procedures.
The event is organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda with the International J/24 Class Association and the Italian J/24 Class Association under the aegis of the Italian Sailing Federation (FIV) and World Sailing. Range Rover, institutional partner of the YCCS, supports the regatta as title sponsor.
At 7.32 metres long, equal to 24 feet - hence the name, the J/24 made yachting history by offering a one-design keelboat. Designed by American Rod Johnstone in the mid-1970s, mass production began in 1977. It is estimated that at least 5,500 units have been built worldwide to date, and classes are firmly established in at least 27 countries. This small boat has contributed significantly to the spread of competitive sailing around the world, and many big names in international sailing have won international J/24 championships in the past.
The 50 boats taking part hail from 21 nations, with a total of over 250 sailors on the water. Twenty-eight Italian competitors have signed up, with Germany being the most represented foreign nation, fielding 9 boats, followed by Great Britain and Hungary with 3 crews each. Two non-European teams are also taking part, one from Australia and one from the USA, whose results will not be included in the scoring for the European Championship. Up to 10 windward-leeward races are scheduled, and a minimum of 4 races will need to be completed for the European Championship to be valid.
The J/24 fleet. Photo credit: Italian J/24 Class
|
|