We’ve watched Keith Whittemore tear up J/24 fleets near and far for a couple decades. His consistency in such a tough class is remarkable. With four days and eight races in the books, he’s leading the J/24 Worlds in Miami. There’s one more day and two races scheduled for what just might be a Whittemore world championship.
Copied from the J/24 class Facebook Page:
Keith Whittemore’s Furio extended his lead at the J/24 World Championship, as Biscayne Bay in Miami delivered a wild and exciting day for the 79 teams. Winds were regularly recorded at 18 knots with gusts in the 20s, testing competitors and equipment, and causing some boats to retire early. Whittemore’s Furio, who exceled in the Championship’s lighter days, also shone in the bigger breeze Friday, posting a bullet and a 12 for 32 net points in eight races. Two more races are planned Saturday to conclude the event. Chris Stone’s Velocidad held on to the runner-up position with 41 points, following a 26,5 on the day (discarding the 26). Rossi Milev’s Clear Air maintained the third spot with 42 points. The Seattle-based Furio crew is comprised of Shelby Milne, Willem Van Waay, Mark Rodgers and Brian Thomas. Whittemore explained that Van Waay has some regatta experience with Furio but joked, “The rest of us has sailed together for 4,000 years.” Whittemore also keeps a boat in Europe, and is regular on that circuit, creating friends and supporters worldwide. After Whittemore in race seven were John Mollicone’s Helly Hansen and Tokuma Takesue’s Gekko. Three J/24 World Champions comprised the top three in race eight: Mauricio Santa Cruz’s Bruschetta, Will Welles Buckaroo and Daniel Frost’s JJOne. Seventy-nine teams from 19 nations (Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Great Britain, Grenada, Hungary, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States) conclude racing Saturday. Complete event details may be found at the event website…
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.