US 2.4 Meter Blog

2024 Sandy Bay Invitational Wrap Up

July 14, 2024 Rockport, MA

That’s a wrap on the 2024 Sandy Bay Invitational
9 races over 3 days for 17 boats. We had sailors aged 17 to 85.
Tight racing among the 17 competitors
Congrats to Rudy Trejo, Chuck Allen and Charlie Rosenfield on their podium finishes.
Rudy Trejo in his new boat sailing fast

2.4 Meter Open House at Sandy Bay Yacht Club

In response to requests from a variety of sources, the Rockport 2.4 meter fleet organized an Open House / Clinic for sailors at Sandy Bay Yacht Club on June 8.  There were 7 sailors at the clinic ranging in age from 17 to much older.

 

Even experienced sailors think the 2.4 meter is a funny little boat
Going through the process of rigging

The sailors were oriented to the 2.4 meter, had the boat contrasted to other designs and then we did a variety of hands on exercises. The 20 knot NW clearing breeze prevented us from sailing, but the attendees all go to practice simulated jibes with the pole launcher and get a feel for steering while seated like a jet pilot.

We hope to schedule an on the water component for later in the summer and hope that we add some new sailors to the class.

Showing how to extend the pole

Thanks to the folks that attended, the  officers and staff at Sandy Bay Yacht Club for helping us host this event.

2024 CanAm Series Wrap up – US Nationals

Apr 4, 2024

By John Seepe

 

Every winter for the last ten years, 2.4-meter sailboat fleets from both Canada and the United States gather for the CanAm Regatta Series.    This year’s series saw the greatest numbers on record for our annual event, with 24 boats sailing in the regattas out of CHYC (Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club) in Port Charlotte Florida.    9 Canadian boats and 15 American boats competed in what turned out to be the best weather in memory.

The Series comprised of 5 regattas and there were no days which failed to have wind.   Most race days saw higher winds and warm temperatures so racing conditions were enjoyed by all on the Peace River.    One day the racing was suspended after only one race due to heavy conditions.

The race committee laid out great courses and managed the adjustments efficiently, making the sailing very fair and enjoyable.    Last year the club docks were heavily damaged due to a hurricane so all the boats put in each day and rigged on the one floating dock available.   With all the sailors and volunteers working together this went smoothly and maybe even better than when we had more dockage.

The days when winds were up and “spicy” saw the normal breakdowns and thorough inspection of rigs weeded out troubles before they became big ones.    One race day with high winds had more rivet issues than the fleet can remember ever experiencing in the past.    The majority of the rivet failures were boom vang failures.

The fleet was tight with all the races being 4 legged windward-leeward races.   Many of the races saw multiple boats finishing in mass, overlapped and fighting for every last inch.    Many were close between the first boat and last boat to finish as the fleet got better over time.

The fun on the water was complemented by the activities off the water having fun and conversations or helping each other upgrade or repair boats.   One moment had Olympians meeting each other for the first time, Ulli Libor from Germany (1968 & 1972) met Allan Leilbel from Canada (1972 & 1976) along with Dee Smith from USA (2016) chatting and sharing memories.

The results of the CanAm Series for 2024 ended with a tie between 3rd and 4th place.   Tony Pocklington (US Vice President) took home 4thplace losing out 3rd place to Jeff Linton from Davis Island Yacht Club (World Champion in Lightning Class).    Second place was won by Allan Leibel (member of Canadian Olympic Committee) with 1st Place being earned by fellow Canadian Bruce Millar (Director and Technical Committee member for the 2.4mR International Class).

With all the competition and excitement everyone is looking forward to next year’s CanAm Series between such skilled sailors on the warm and spicy waters of Southwest Florida, which should be bigger and better than this year’s record event.

2024 CanAm Series Events 1 & 2

Jan 29, 2024 – Port Charlotte FL
by: Shan McAdoo
Photos:: Fran Burstein & Tina Barnes
24 International 2.4 Meters sailed in 2 events over 5 days this past week. The fleet encountered a variety of weather conditions over the week from 3 knots to 30 knots of air.  The Americans and Canadians battled to a draw for podium positions after both events.
Leeward mark rounding in breeze on Day 1
Windy Start

Event 1

 CanAm series Event 1 ran from Jan 22, 23. The fleet sailed 6 races.   Day 1 saw 35 knot gusts. The breeze moderated on day 2.
Jeff Linton won the event. Bruce Millar was second, Tony Pocklington was third.  Results Event 1 Full Results
Rounding the bottom makr
Jeff Linton Event 1 – First Place
Tony Pocklington Event 1 – second place

Event 2

 CanAm series Event 2 ran from Jan 25-27 The fleet sailed 6 races.   Day 1 saw 10-15 knot winds . The breeze was very light  on day 2 allowed only 1 race and returned on day 3.
Light air and lots of current during Event 2
Footing and speed were key in Event 2 light air
Bruce Millar  won the event, Tony Pocklington was second, Allen Liebel was third.  Results Full Event 2 Results
Allen Leibel Event 2 – Third Place
Bruce Millar Event 2 – First place winner

Tampa Sailing Squadron – Event report

Nov 13, 2023 – Apollo Beach, FL
Last Friday 4 2.4 meter sailors went through a time machine. John Seepe, Tony Pocklington, Rudy Trejo and Shan McAdoo traveled to Apollo beach on the eastern edge of Tampa Bay to sail at a multi class event at the Tampa Sailing Squadron (TSS).
TSS is a throw back to a simpler time. A volunteer run organization with a simple building two hoists a floating dock, a big barbeque grill and tons of cold beer.  On the water they had Mutineers (Mutts) and Day Sailers along with us.  We sailed 5 races in a light westerly and had a great time.  2.4 Meter. Sailors familiar with Sandy Bay Yacht Club will feel right at home at TSS.
Rudy put on a clinic, winning all but one race (Read the sailing instructions next time Rudy!!).  Tony ended up second for the day, followed by Shan and John.  The class has been invited back to the March Midwinter regatta (March 8-10, 2024)
The sailing venue is lovely and very accessible. The club leadership and members are very friendly and welcoming.  Apollo Beach is a relatively undiscovered part of Tampa with lots of available Hotels and AirBnBs.
All of the 2.4 meter sailors agree that its a great “old school” venue and look forward to going back.