2019 Helly Hansen Marblehead NOOD

The 2.4mr class crashed the 2019 Marblehead NOOD party July 26-28 in Marblehead, Ma.
8 boats registered for the event, Charlie Rosenfield taking first place( 9 pts) by winning all 4 Sunday races. Ted Green II finished second(12 pts), and Jim Romano third with 23 pts
Here is a link to the Sailing World wrap up thanks to Ted Green II SWwrap.
results
Congratulations and good luck to the newest US 2.4mr fleet.

2019 Pacific Coast Championship

Pacific Coast Championship, June 14-16, 2019
Hosted by Royal Victoria Yacht Club
The second annual Pacific Coast Championship was held in Cadboro Bay, Victoria, BC. Competitors included Jeff Reinhold, Seattle, John Edwards (guest skipper RVYC), combined with local 2.4mR sailors; unfortunately, our prairie colleagues could not attend this year. On Friday, half the fleet headed out to the mouth of Cadboro Bay for an afternoon practice session. In a 4-8 kt S wind, we did speed tuning and practiced our starts followed by mini-races. While we sailed downwind towards the dock, a lone orca surfaced about six times right beside our group of five boats, blowing on each slow roll. The cetacean was matching our speed, possibly trying to identify these ‘strange creatures’ with two white downward-facing fins. After Rod Mack exclaimed his amazement at the sight, the orca turned towards us, surfaced and blew one more time, took a closer look at us, then dived under our 2.4s and cruised out of the Bay. What a wildlife encounter!
Oh, yes. The racing.
Saturday morning a 5 kt SE wind was blowing straight into the Bay. Early in the day, the left side of the course paid upwind, so a start with clear air near the port end of the line paid off. Bruce Millar and Louise Anstey played the conditions well, finishing 1st and 2nd respectively in Races 1 and 2. By midday, the pressure on the right improved followed by a small starboard lift when approaching the weather mark. Louise Anstey (who returned after an OCS) and Doug Lee saw the opportunity and turned it into a winner, finishing 1 and 2 in Race 3. In the next couple of races, the traffic forced Bruce into the lighter air on the left, and, on another occasion, he caught seaweed that was so prevalent due to the extreme tides in mid-June. The right generally paid upwind in Races 5 and 6, however, the occasional shift or puff in the centre of the course created opportunities. Downwind legs were equally interesting. After Bruce and Brian Robinson capitalized on pressure and a bit of favourable current on the east side of the course, the fleet spread across the course on subsequent downwinds. By end of day Louise was leading, followed by Bruce and Doug Bell.
On Sunday morning the wind was SE again, however very soft with the occasional patchy spot. Trying to make the most of the wind, the RC backed the course deep into the bay. The start line was within a stone’s throw of the beach. In Race 7, with the lightest wind of the series, Stacey Louttit led wire to wire, Bruce 2nd; Louise struggled with a 6th. In Race 8 and 9, Bruce and Louise shared the 1sts. Brian enjoyed the light patchy conditions posting two 2nd place finishes; this moved him up from 5th position after Saturday.
Final results: 1st Louise Anstey, 2nd Bruce Millar, 3rd Brian Robinson winning a tie breaker with Doug. See full results here. The competitors wish to thank Ron Jewula and his race committee/safety boat crew and Mike Turner and his fellow jurors for giving up their weekends to make this regatta a success.
To all those 2.4 sailors ‘from away’, do keep the PCCs in mind when you plan your 2020 summer racing season. The Pacific Coast is a beautiful place to sail: clear water, snow-capped mountains as the backdrop for the race course, and maybe, just maybe, a unique wildlife experiencing included with the regatta.
Here is a link to the results

2018-2019 CanAm Wrap Up

Smith Wins The Finale and The 2019 2.4mR Can Am Championship Series
Increasingly Competitive North American 2.4mR Series Drives Class Growth

Port Charlotte, Fla. (April 2, 2019) – Can Am #5, also known as The Finale, closed out the winter racing season for the 2.4mR class on Charlotte Harbor with 21 competitors racing over three days (March 29-31).

Annapolis sailor Dee Smith, the current U.S. and North American Champion, crossed the finish first in eight of the nine races to take the win of The Finale. “The regatta was very good for everyone” said Smith. “The conditions were near perfect and there was a very good fight for second with Tony Pocklington beating out Allan Leibel on a tie break. The first two days were shifty and puffy. The second race on day two was a challenge with light air and the race that gave Tony the tie break. He was deep around the last mark and sailed around everyone to drift across the line for the win. For me, I just kept clear and sailed my race…I had good starts and went the right way, except that run in which I finished fourth and which became my drop race.”

With his string of first-place finishes, Smith ended the regatta with an insurmountable low score of eight points. He was followed in the final standings by Tony Pocklington, of Ft. Myers, Fla., and Allan Leibel of Toronto, Canada, each with 31 points. Two more Canadian sailors, Bruce Millar and Louise Anstey, who both hail from Victoria, B.C., each were second across the line in two races, and finished the regatta fourth and fifth with 33 and 39 points, respectively.

Anstey raced her first 2.4mR event in the Can Am series two years ago, having grown up sailing numerous one-design classes from El Toro dinghies to Fireballs, Lasers and Solings, as well as racing various PHRF keelboats. She started sailing a borrowed 2.4mR to be a sparring partner for Jackie Gay (who went on to win a Paralympic silver medal in the SKUD class). In her two years in the 2.4mR class, Anstey has observed that the racing in the Can Am series is getting much tighter.

“Those in the mid-fleet are pushing the leaders more and taking a few places away from them,” said Anstey. “The same is true of those who used to be a little farther back. I suspect the regular racing in a reasonable sized fleet that the 2.4mR Can Am Championship Series offers is a big factor in the increased competitiveness…and it remains friendly competition. I find the sailors in the class are helpful and willing to share information. It is the kind of support that makes me feel welcome and want to return for another event.”

The Finale was the fifth event in the 2019 2.4mR Can Am Championship which started last December. Over the course of the season 30 sailors, representing Canada, Guatemala, Norway, The Virgin Islands and the U.S.A., competed in one or more events. Open only to sailors racing the Norlin MkIII One Design, the Championship Trophy winner was determined from the results of all five regattas after his or her worst event was dropped from the scoring. Smith, who won three of the five events, came out on top. Bruce Millar, winner of the Edge Midwinters, followed by Allan Leibel, winner of Can Am #4, rounded out the top-three in the season championship standings.

“The fleet is getting stronger every regatta. Sailing in Port Charlotte is both challenging and warm. Everyone has a good time and the Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club does a great job,” concluded Smith.

Peter Wood, President of the Canadian class association and a long-time 2.4mR competitor concurred with Smith’s assessment of the competition and yacht club support, and also cited positive developments that came out of the season and which bode well for the class in future years. “First, there have been a number of new faces in the class including a group of sailors from Marblehead and a new sailor from Milwaukee whom we expect to see at regattas in Newport and Kingston [CAN] this summer,” said Wood. “The efforts by Bruce Millar and Tony Pocklington to further develop the jib boom rig for the 2.4mR will expand the population of sailors who can sail these boats. Bruce sailed a jib boom boat in the final regatta with good results.”

The continued support of the volunteers at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club has also ensured that the fourth edition of the series – the 2020 2.4mR Can Am Championship Series – will return to Charlotte Harbor next winter.

“The Can Am series has helped bring the widespread North American 2.4mR fleet together,” said Tony Pocklington, President of the US 2.4mR class. “That consolidation has definitely motivated participation. We are very lucky to have a great venue for the Can Am Championship Series. Race committee, affordability, and race area are all perfect for our class, and help to showcase the technical, competitive aspects of the 2.4mR. Word of the consistent and competitive racing has spread, and we are seeing growth in the New England area, here in southwest Florida, and in Canada, specifically Victoria, Vancouver, and Toronto, where similar Can Am series (West and North) are being planned. Toronto is planning an inaugural event for this summer. Overall, the future is looking optimistic for our North American 2.4mR Norlin MkIII One Design class.”

Full results for Can Am #5, The Finale Regatta, may be found here; and full results for the earlier events in the season as available as well: 2018 2.4mR North American Championship may be found here; 2018 2.4mR U.S. Nationals results may be found here; 2019 Edge Midwinters results are here; and full results for Can Am #4 are here.

About the 2.4mR: The 2.4mR originated in 1983 in Sweden and attained confirmation as an international class less than 10 years later. Class racing puts the emphasis on the tactical – not physical – skills of the sailor as the single-handed boats are equal under the strict rules that govern the class. With a length of 13’ 8” and the advantage of being easily transported and stored, this sleek keelboat has gained favor with a wide range of able-bodied sailors and sailors with disabilities (there are 1200 boats worldwide, with roughly 200 in North America). For more information on the class, please visit http://www.canada24mr.com/ or www.us24meter.org/ and follow us on Facebook at US 2.4mR Class