Travis Odenbach's Honeybadger captures J/24 US National Championship at Wayzata Yacht Club

First place: USA 5325 Honeybadger, Travis Odenbach © USA J/24 Class Association

Eighteen teams competed from September 6-8 for the J/24 US National Championship at Wayzata Yacht Club in Wayzata, MN. Eight races were completed on Lake Minnetonka, including one discard. Conditions ranged from patchy wind on the opening day to delightful and steady breeze of 8-14 knots.

Second place: USA 5443, Mike Ingham - photo © USA J/24 Class Association

Keeping up his momentum from winning this year's J/24 North American Championship, Travis Odenbach's Honeybadger proved very consistent with scores of 1,3,2,1,[5],1,4,3 for 15 net points. With crew Monica Morgan, Dave Hughes, Jeff Sullivan and Jay Miles, Odenbach outlasted runner-up (and fellow Rochester, NY helmsman) Mike Ingham who netted 19 points and Kurt Dammeier's Amuse Bouche of Seattle (20 net points).

Third place: USA 5352, Amuse Bouche, Kurt Dammeier - photo © USA J/24 Class Association

Half of the fleet competed in the Corinthian Division, won by Nobuyuki Imai's Siesta, ahead of Dave Breitner's Usual Suspects and Bill Allen's OZ.

Representatives from J/Boats were on hand to present a lifetime award in J/24 Fleet #1, honoring the groundbreaking birth of the J/24 in the late 1970s.

Overall Results: (top five)

1. Travis Odenbach, USA 5325, Honeybadger, 15pts
2. Mike Ingham, USA 5443, 19
3. Kurt Dammeier, USA 5352, Amuse Bouche, 20pts
4. Nobuyuki Imai, JPN 5185, Siesta, 27pts (Corinthian)
5. Dave Breitner, USA 5008, Usual Suspects, 37pts (Corinthian)

Event details and complete results may be found at www.wyc.org/j24-nationals-2024.