2nd annual J/24 Corinthian US National Championship at Sayville Yacht Club
by Julie & Christopher Howell 20 May 10:10 PDT
May 15-19, 2024
The second annual J/24 Corinthian US National Championship made its way east to Sayville Yacht Club in Blue Point, NY from May 15-19. The forecast for Sunday's final two races called for lighter winds, which many teams hoped might be the case. Mother Nature had other plans. The North wind blew strong at 18-22 mph for the last two of eight contests.
Many teams chose to power down with their jibs, while others muscled through with their genoas. When racing was completed, Telmo Basterra and his Team Tarheel (Thomas Bouchard, Ian Hunter, Steve Liebel and Briar Robertson) earned their name on the brand new perpetual Corinthian Championship trophy. Mike Stasko and his Redline team took second place and Mark Hillman's Hillman Capital Management team were third. In the end, competitors from 19 boats raved about the venue, hospitality and the army of volunteers from the Sayville Yacht Club.
Day One Recap: After Thursday's delay of boat launching due to gusty winds, Friday morning the breeze cooperated early so boats began to launch at 08:30. Racing was scheduled to start at 14:30. Before racing began, teams took advantage of having some coach time with Kris Werner (Quantum Sails) and Will Welles (North Sails) as they followed boats on the water.
After a short AP to reset the course due to shifty East/Northeast winds, the first race was finally under way. Two races were completed, and the results were a two-boat tie at the top (Ted Wiedeke & Al Constants), followed by another two-boat tie (Steve Callison & Mark Hillman). The post-race chicken & ribs BBQ was a huge hit with everyone as the SYC team led by Mark Luely and John O'Donnell grilled up a fantastic meal.
Day Two Recap: It was a long day, with four races completed. The wind forecast was for a diminishing breeze starting at 1400 hours, but this never came to pass. It blew between 14-18 mph most of Saturday. After the two days of racing, Mark Hillman's team (Hillman Capital Management), who had three firsts and a fourth, was in first place at 12 points. Telmo Basterra (Team Tarheel) was in second at 14 points and Mike Stasko (Redline) in third at 19 points.
Overall Results: (top five)
1. Team Tarheel, Telmo Basterra, 3 -[11] -6 -2 -2 -1 -4 -2; 20pts
2. Redline, Mike Stasko, 1 -[15] -9 -4 -3 -2 -2 -1; 22pts
3. Hillman Capital Management, Mark Hillman, 7 -5 -1 -1 -1 -4 -7 -[9]; 26pts
4. Caramella, Frederick (Ted) Wiedeke, 9 -2 -4 -10 -4 -6 -[14] -4; 39pts
5. Whiskey River, Steve Callison, 11 -1 -8 -3 -[14] -5 -5 -7; 40pts
Full results and event details available here.