J 24 Worlds Second Last Day

by Dana Paxton on 29 Sep 2000 One Day Remains at MFS Regatta® J/24 World Championship - Day 4

Consistent sailing in races 6 and 7 leads Read to top of scoreboard

With four days in a row of classic Newport fall weather and seven races completed in the MFS Regatta J/24 World Championship, Brad Read (Middletown, R.I.) tops the scoreboard with a
cumulative score of 18 points.

Races 6 and 7 took place today in 12-15 knot northerly winds on Rhode Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. Defending world champion Vasco Vascotto (Trieste, ITA) is in second with Chris Snow (San Diego, Calif.), Keith Whittemore (Seattle, Wash.) and Geoff Moore
(Newport, R.I.) rounding out the top five of 73 international teams gathered
here in Newport, R.I.

Tomorrow is the final day of racing and two races remain to be sailed in this regatta, hosted by Ida Lewis Yacht Club, Sail Newport and Fleet 50 of the International J/24 Class Association.

Once again tricky, shifty winds challenged the fleet and provided an extra
degree of difficulty for a number of teams. Vascotto had his lowest
finishing race today with a 26 in the first race, but he was back on track in
the second and earned a sixth place.

According to J/24 National Champion Chris Snow (San Diego, Calif.) surviving in this fleet is no secret. "The whole key to doing well is to get a good start, keep going straight and not
get too fancy," he said. Snow finished 16, 3 for the day to put him into
third overall. ". "In the first race we were far back and we caught up a
lot," he said. "My crew did a really good job. I'd say we kept it together."

The top career amateur right now is Keith Whittemore (Seattle, Wash.) on
Tundra Rose. He has the same view as most of the top teams here. "Our game
plan is to be conservative," said Whittemore. "There's big trouble to have
in a fleet this size." Crew includes his wife Karen Kast, with Joel
Thornton, Jim Tallet, and Kevin Downey (all Seattle, Wash.).

Today's daily awards were presented by Cambridge Technology Partners at Sail
Newport, overlooking the Newport Harbor. Tomorrow's prizegiving ceremony
will be held at the International Yacht Restoration School.

With a number of protest situations, the international jury is busy this
evening under the watchful eye of chief juror Arthur "Tuna" Wullshleger
(HOME). Official scores will be posted to www.sailnewport.org/worlds.

Tune in to the RealTime Race Viewer at www.sailnewport.org/worlds during
racing - scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Eastern - to view live expert commentary
with mark rounding and finish positions of each boat.

For complete results, photos, a list of competitors, and more go to
www.sailnewport.org/worlds. Additional photos can be viewed at
www.timwilkes.com.