J/22 World Championship - Brad Julian Charges as Allan holds lead

by Christopher E. Howell on 5 Oct 2013 A battle between two Annapolis-based teams takes center stage as competitors now approach the final day of the J/22 World Championship, sponsored by Fidelity Investments. Allan Terhune’s 20-point advantage after Thursday has dwindled to just nine points, after two more races were completed on Friday.
Brad Julian’s ThreeDories.com, with Matthew Schubert and Colin Robertson onboard, knocked out two bullets to make a move toward the Championship crown. Terhune’s Dazzler, including crew of Katie Terhune, Kristine Wake and Marcus Eagan, acquired a fourth in race eight but had to settle for a 19 in race nine, leaving them with 24 net points. Julian stands at 33 points. In third place, Chris Doyle’s The Jug 4 1 has tallied 50 points.

Hosted by Sail Newport, the five-day event marks the 30th anniversary of the J/22. Teams were postponed on shore until 11:00 a.m. due to light and unsteady breeze. Then, when the Race Committee sent the fleet out to the bay, the winds picked up between 12-16 knots and a 1-3 foot chop for beautiful racing conditions. Julian scored the win in race eight, with Benz Faget’s Fats and Michael Schmid’s En Fuego close behind. By the next battle, the breeze dipped to 6-10 knots, but Julian excelled in this contest as well. Jeffrey Love’s Stampede placed second and Lars Hansen’s OldsKool third.

Racing concludes Saturday for the 71 teams from Canada, the Cayman Islands, South Africa and the USA. Complete results, regatta information and live racing updates are available at Event Website.