Christopher Hobbs triumphs in the J/80 North American Championship
by Julie & Christopher Howell 8 Oct 06:34 PDT
1-6 October 2024
J/80 North American Championship 2024 © Christopher Howell
After eight years, the J/80 North American Championship returned to Toronto, once again impressing at the National Yacht Club. Thirty teams raced in ideal warm Fall conditions on Lake Ontario from October 1-6.
Intense competition and shifting winds kept everyone on their toes, with strategies in constant revision.
The Race Committee wasted no time, and after three races on the first day, Lifted (Chris Hobbs, Samantha Webster, Kris Werner, Tyler Woodworth) led the standings, while Cristian Bieder (Chimichurri), last year’s champion Conor Hayes (More Gostosa), and Graham Philpott (Black Dog) were ready to strike.
The second day promised light winds, which indeed faded midway through the second race. Only eight boats finished as a thermal shift reversed the wind direction, leaving the others stuck with TLE scores. Lifted capitalized and scored three first-place finishes to strengthen their lead.
Sunday brought stronger SW winds and choppy seas, with Lifted holding off challengers to secure victory in the regatta. Graham Philpott (Black Dog) took second, while Conor Hayes (More Gostosa) claimed third. Corinthian (fully amateur) honors went to Philpott and team, with Hayes second and Thomas Kopp (Kopp-Out) from Grosse Point, MI in third.
Kudos to all participants for making this a genuine North American Championship and a remarkable event. Teams traveled from Lake Winnipesaukee, Massachusetts, Annapolis, Newport, and notably Seattle (Julian Croxall with Reckless). The commitment to the Class by all teams is commendable—hats off to all competitors!
Fleet 20 is the J/80 fleet with the highest growth, now hosting 33 boats across five fleets: Toronto, Oakville, Port Dover, Ottawa/Nepean, Kingston, and Rochester. Canada will also host the 2026 J/80 World Championship at the Olympic sailing venue in Kingston, Ontario.
Final Standings:
PosBow NoSail NoBoat NameOwner / SkipperR1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9Pts
1 28 CAN 528LiftedChristopher Hobbs36311148221
2 29 USA 829Black Dog (Corinthian)Graham Philpot4106331512534
3 53 1153More Gostosa (Corinthian)Conor Hayes23144DNF5143348
4 71 USA 590Kopp‑Out (Corinthian)Thomas and Jennifer Kopp91621143131649
5 91 USA 591TubbyJesse Thompson1284DNS7684150
6 98 CAN 298Chimichurri (Corinthian)Cristian Bieder104110DNF4512753
7 96 USA 296RecklessJulian Croxall515582191751875
8 81 CAN 181Innocent BystanderDavid Doyle Mark McLeanOCS131356123151683
9 12 CAN 12Fiammetta for Sale (Corinthian)Stephen Bardon81222DNF87202189
10 33 CAN 33Puffin’ (Corinthian)Darin Sameshima12197DNF2218101089
11 1 USA 1001Blind Faith (Corinthian)Brian Gibbs167269DNF11107490
12 26 CAN 126Rogues Roost (Corinthian)John Haverstock1111712DNF1891322103
13 60 CAN 360Free Radical (Corinthian)Martin Rutter1551125521UFD1720119
14 10 CAN 1326Sheets & GigglesJohn ValleeOCS1496DNF1024188120
15 22 USA 1322Stacked Deck (Corinthian)Ramzi Bannura1324817DNF20151115123
16 63 USA 3Party Tree (Corinthian)Party Tree Racing6182016DNF7191919124
17 92 592Yacht‑Sea (Corinthian)Aiden Belfrage Max Clark791013DNF916RETDNC126
18 54 CAN 54Flyer (Corinthian)Edward Bilopavlovic192312OCSDNF222614129
19 78 USA 249CheeksAllan Powell172215OCSDNF141299129
20 67 CAN 1067Cheeky Monkey (Corinthian)Doug Gibson24251619DNF13111613137
21 12 CAN 2Relentless (Corinthian)Andy Elkin14202123DNF2522412141
22 52 USA 1152Le Tigre (Corinthian)Peter d’Anjou18212322DNF17202111153
23 43 CAN 343enigma (Corinthian)Owen Schneider23122714824212725154
24 80 USA 803Blaze (Corinthian)Bengt & Marie Johansson25172818DNF16623DNF164
25 23 CAN 1323Segueh (Corinthian)Elisabeth Neasmith20282915DNF23262517183
26 30 CAN 130Echo Beach (Corinthian)Dominic Goodwill21272526DNF27251423188
27 14 CAN 545Kokoro (Corinthian)Thomas Tyson27191821DNF26232926189
28 41 CAN 441Alchemist (Corinthian)Jason Goncalves & Matt Vetter26261724DNF28282827204
29 61 CAN 1161Flyer (Corinthian)Gary Stephenson22302427DNF29292224207
30 62 CAN 262Happy J (Corinthian)Janet GeisbergerOCS293020DNF30272628221
