Milev's Clear Air wins thrilling J/24 North American Championship at Port Credit Yacht Club
by Julie & Christopher Howell 5 Oct 11:25 PDT
September 30 - October 4, 2026
Milev's Clear Air wins thrilling J/24 North American Championship © J/24 International Class Association
Rossi Milev of Canada and his team aboard Clear Air won the 2026 J/24 North American Championship, hosted by Port Credit Yacht Club in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada from September 30-October 4.
In a tightly contested regatta featuring 24 boats from the United States and Canada, including 18 Corinthian teams, Milev relied on consistency to secure the victory without winning a race in the eight-race series.
The Championship came down to the final day, with just three points separating the top five teams heading into Sunday's racing. After an unsettled morning brought an onshore postponement, the fleet launched at noon as the breeze settled into the southwest and built to 15 knots, with gusts to 20. The waves grew to their largest of the regatta, providing a challenging finale for the fleet.
Race Committee completed two races before the time limit for the dramatic conclusion. Milev's Clear Air faced a challenging position heading into the final day's racing, having sat as low as ninth at one point before climbing back to fifth. With a scoreline of 3-2-2-10-4-2-2-4 and discarding the 10th-place finish, Milev finished with 19 net points and the continental title. Canada's Evan Petley-Jones' Lifted finished second overall with 21 points, just two behind the champion. Petley-Jones topped the Corinthian division, followed by Jay Miles' Blister and Mike Stasko's Redine. Kurt Dammeier's Amuse Bouche completed the overall podium in third with 22 points, just one point behind Lifted. Paul Abdullah's Tremendous Slouch placed fourth with 26 points, while Michael Goldfarb's WarCanoe rounded out the top five with 37 points.
The Championship highlighted the resurgence of the Canadian J/24 Class, with strong participation from both sides of the border and a deep field of experienced sailors. The regatta attracted an impressive gathering of J/24 World Championship-winning skippers and crew, including Will Welles, Rossi Milev, Mike Marshall, Travis Odenbach, Jay Miles, Monica Morgan, Jeff Hayden, Mark Goodyear, Gayle Gray and Marianne Schoke.
Complete results may be found at yachtscoring.com/emenu/50626, and photos are available on the International J/24 Class Facebook page.