Kings Day Regatta at Florida Yacht Club
by J/Boats 30 Nov 2020 08:16 PST
November 21-22, 2020
Kings Day Regatta 2020 © Tia Pearl
The Florida Yacht Club and J/24 Fleet 55 hosted twenty-one very enthusiastic J/24 competitors to a wonderful weekend of competitive sailing at the 2020 Kings Day Regatta November 21-22, 2020.
The racing Saturday and Sunday had a total of six races sailed on the St. Johns River south of Jacksonville in the traditional fall breezes of Northeast Florida. It was a see-saw battle for the podium all weekend long as each time was trying to "dial-in" not just speed-mode in the flat water, but also getting into sequence in the shifty breezes.
Starting off with a 1-5-1 on the first day, Greg Griffin's Majic played their local knowledge to the max, ending the day with a strong lead. The other day's winner was Robby Brown's Angel of Harlem from Davis Island YC, gliding into second for the day. They were followed by Dan Borrer's Jesus Lizard just one point behind.
The die was cast for the battle that would unfold on Sunday morning. The first race of the day saw all three teams struggling to even finish in a podium position as they covered and watched each other like hawks as they rounded the race track. However, it was Borrer's Jesus Lizard that closed the regatta with an emphatic double-bullets to take the silver. Griffin's Majic hung in close and avoided disastrous races to take the win by a mere two points. Brown's Angel of Harlem crew was fast and consistent, but a Black Flag in the last race dispelled their chances for the overall win. Instead, the Harlem crew had to settle for the bronze.
The winning team on Majic consisted of skipper Greg Griffin and crew of Will Newton, Skip Allcorn, Mike Reddaway, and Emma Newton. The silver medal crew on Jesus Lizard was Dan Borrer driving, with team of Kelly Holleran, Steve Lopez, Barbara Gold, and Max Lopez. The bronze medal winners on Angel of Harlem were Robby Brown on the helm, with crew of Beau Delapouyade, Richard Shellow, Steve Lowery, and Kevin Ratigan.
Full results can be found here.