2024 J/24 Worlds, ORC Worlds, Louis Vuitton Cup Finals, Puig Women’s America’s Cup
by David Schmidt 8 Oct 08:00 PDT
October 8, 2024
Travis Odenbach and his Honeybadger crew just a boatlength away from clinching victory at the 2024 Beecher’s Handmade Cheese J/24 World Championship © David Schmidt
There are few things as uplifting as witnessing someone achieve a long-fought goal that demanded tremendous dedication. I was fortunate enough to experience such a moment on Saturday afternoon as Travis Odenbach and his Honeybadger team crossed the finish line first in the final race of the 2024 Beecher’s Handmade Cheese J/24 World Championship (September 28 to October 5), which concluded on Seattle’s Shilshole Bay Marina. This win was one of three victories Odenbach and his crew secured during five grueling days of racing on Puget Sound, solidifying their championship title.
For Odenbach, this championship represented the fruit of ten years of dedicated campaigning, featuring several runner-up and third-place finishes at various J/24 World Championships, along with a U.S. North American championship title.
Impressively, Honeybadger finished several minutes ahead of their closest rival in the fleet of 56 boats.
The cheers and shouts of elation carried over the water, and our spectator group aboard Keith Whittemore’s well-appointed Hinckley powerboat (which even had an espresso machine, much to my delight) couldn’t help but share in the joy and celebration. This wasn’t just a thrilling win to witness; it was made even sweeter by the fact that Whittemore, a two-time J/24 world champion skipper, personally sold Odenbach his winning J/24 after a North American championship event, proclaiming, “you’ll win the J/24 Worlds in Seattle on this boat.”
Whittemore’s prediction came true, and the celebration aboard Honeybadger confirmed that the time, resources, and commitment required to achieve significant milestones are worthwhile when the final gun sounds.
For Seattle, where I resided for over a decade, the 2024 Beecher’s Handmade Cheese J/24 World Championship was a significant triumph, and every competitor I spoke with recounted the challenging conditions they faced during the five days and nine races. Even Saturday’s delay and lone race turned into a success, as a 10-knot northerly wind presented a fitting conclusion for this skilled fleet.
(Fun fact: this is only the third world championship title decided in Seattle since Dennis Conner and James Reynolds won the Star Worlds in 1971.)
While the J/24 design isn’t new, the competition level and enthusiasm among all participants were exceptional.
Odenbach and his Honeybadger crew were joined on the podium by Mike Ingham and his USA 5443 team, as well as Kohei Ichikawa’s Gekko Diana (JPN 5450) squad.
Meanwhile, the 2024 ORC World Championship (September 27 to October 5) just concluded in Newport, Rhode Island, showcasing some of the world’s premier big boats and sailors.
Victor Wild’s Fox 2.0, a Botin 52, took top honors in the ORC 0 class, while Austin and Gwen Fragomen’s Interlodge, a Botin 44, won in Class A. Marc Sutkowski’s Windwhisper44, a Grand Soleil 44 P, was the standout boat in Class B, while Jim Swartz’s Vesper, a Maxi 72, triumphed in the Maxi Class.
“We congratulate all winners and podium finishers at this World Championship,” said ORC Chairman Bruno Finzi in an official statement. “The race management team from the New York Yacht Club worked seamlessly with our group to provide fair and competitive racecourses this week.”
Simultaneously, fierce competition unfolded off Barcelona, Spain, as the Louis Vuitton Cup Final concluded on Friday following a 13-race face-off between Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and INEOS Britannia.
The contest featured a balanced leaderboard for the first four days, with each team sharing the daily wins. On October 2, however, the British team gained the upper hand with two victories, leading to a 6-4 standing in this best-of-seven series.
On Friday (October 4), the Brits delivered the final blow to the Italians, marking the first instance since 1964 that a British-flagged boat has qualified for an America’s Cup Match.
“This is a monumental moment for the team, and we always knew we would face a fierce battle against Luna Rossa—credit to them for being incredible competitors,” said Sir Ben Ainslie, skipper and team principal of INEOS Britannia, in an official report.
The 37th America’s Cup racing matchup between Defenders Emirates Team New Zealand and Challenger INEOS Britannia is set to commence on Saturday, October 12.
In the meantime, the Qualification Series for the Puig Women’s America’s Cup is well underway, featuring AC40 foiling monohulls off Barcelona.
As of this writing (Monday morning, October 7), the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Women’s Team from Italy led Group A with 33 points, followed closely by the British Athena Pathway-Women at 29 points and the Kiwi Emirates Team New Zealand Women’s Team with 18 points.
In Group B, the Jajo Team Dutchsail from the Netherlands led with 27 points, followed by Spain’s Sail Team BCN Women at 24 points and Australia’s Andoo Team Australia Women’s Team with 23 points.
The North American team in the competition is the NYYC American Magic Women’s Team, currently secured sixth place (out of six teams) in Group A.
The top three teams from both Groups A and B will advance to the four Semi-Final Series fleet races (October 11) to select the two teams that will compete in the Final Race (October 13) for the Puig Women’s America’s Cup.
Finally, stay tuned for the latest updates from Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the 2024 Classic Yacht Challenge Series, and the KiteFoil World Series, all available on Sail-World.
May the four winds guide you home safely,
David Schmidt
Sail-World.com North American Editor
