While keel boats from six countries and several American states are sailing in the 62-boat fleet on Lake Ontario’s Foxtrot course, it’s what one skipper terms “the pedigree” of Newport, R.I., that’s standing at the top of the J24 Worlds.

Newport skippers Tim Healy, Brad Read and Geoffrey Moore are holding down three of the top four positions after three days of racing.

“We’re in the same fleet at home, the J24 Fleet 50 in Newport,” said 37-year-old skipper Read, the younger brother of six-time J24 world champion Kenny Read. “It’s an amazing fleet. My brother Kenny sailed in it.
Betsy Allison, five-time U.S. women’s sailor of the year, they have all sailed out of that fleet.
“It’s because of that fleet the three of us are doing so well here. We’re always sailing against the best.”

Rhode Island’s picturesque Atlantic harbour at Newport is renowned for sailing and regarded as the birthplace of 24-foot keel boat.

A one-design boat with a weight of 2,700 pounds and 261 square feet of sail area, the J24 is one of the best-known boats in the sailing world. Fast but simple, the hull is clean with a long line which enables it to reach plane in a strong wind. Raced with a crew of five, the J24 has to be continually trimmed to sustain speed.

The J24 is also regarded as the stepping stone for helmsmen going on to race in major yachting championships including the America’s Cup.

“The class in recent years probably has the pedigree of training the world’s best,” said Read who won the 2000 J24 Worlds with his brother.

Kenny Read now steers the Stars and Stripes for legendary skipper Dennis Conner. Also on the Conner crew are the likes of trim man Vince Brun and Chuck Brown. They represent over 14 J24 world wins amongst them.

Sailing on Lake Ontario out of Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, the site of the Canadian Olympic-training regatta, brings back some special memories for Brad Read.
He was only 18 when he sailed at CORK for the first and only time. He was crewing for his brother Kenny on a J24 named Maggie, after their mother.
“We won at CORK and it was for the J24 Canadian Nationals. That made it special,” Read said.
“I haven’t been back since except to sail in the 470 fleet once in the mid-’80s.”
Read didn’t sail in the 1989 J24 Worlds, the first time Kingston hosted the championship. His brother did but didn’t win.

One of the first things Read did when he decided to come to Kingston for the J24 Worlds, was to call Jeff Boyd, a math teacher at La Salle Secondary.
Boyd sailed the J24 back then too but he now competes in the 505 class and is a former North American champion with crew Martin TenHove.

“We stayed with Jeff Boyd in 1982. So one of the first things I did was to call him to get the local knowledge,” Read said.

On Tuesday, Lake Ontario, with an unusual northerly wind, reminded Read more of Newport. “When you get a northerly here it’s similar to Rhode Island. It’s just plain shifty.” Read has the experience to overcome some of the frightening shifty air conditions the north wind will deal out. In the series third race, he rounded the first weather beat in 50th place.

“Our technician Moose McClintock kind of pulled us together and told us not to worry, to keep plugging away because there was a long way to go. “We ended up in 11th and I think in this regatta, you will [count] an 11th,” said Read, referring to the drop raceskippers are allowed once the series has six races in. Read holds the regatta lead by one point over Mike Ingham of Rochester. Newport’s Moore and Healy follow in third and fourth.

The championship is set for nine races, finishing off two today and one more tomorrow.

Source: Doug Graham