J24 European Championship

J24 European Championship

UK and European Champion, Ian Southworth takes the lead

Day two of the J24 European Championships began in bright sunshine and very light winds. Ian Southworth, 2005 European Champion and 2006 UK champion won the day with a second and a first.

The fleet was faced with difficult tidal decisions and a failing breeze.

Race 4 started in less than 5mph wind with early leaders Southworth and Jardine heading left in what seemed the favoured side on a 290 degree wind.

To the right hand, Shirley Robertson led half the fleet up the beach. As the wind shifted she extended her lead. Southworth bailed from the left side taking over twenty transoms to get right. The race slowed to a crawl as 1300kg ” Pooh Sticks” floated towards the windward mark. David Ellis in Hitchhikers, led Shirley Robertson
to the weather mark and as Southworth worked up to third . The thirty minute limit for the first beat was reached and the race abandoned.

A wait of two hours for the breeze to settle was rewarded with slightly more breeze at 3-8 mph from the same direction. From a light start Madeleine, helmed by Duncan McCarthy, took the lead from Klaus Walkusch of Sweden in Superliga down the first run.

Commented McCarthy “After watching the breeze move around for hours we decided it was going left. We saw that we could barely lay the pin on Starboard. We went left upwind and on the run saw Ian (Southworth) had picked up a good line of breeze. We gybed immediately leaving the Swedish boat and consolidated our lead. We got an amazing lift on the second beat and laid the mark without tacking”.

Ian Southworth finished second, with Jon Powell a close third and Walkusch fourth.

Race six and a freshening wind as Wednesday’s expected front showed first signs of arrival. A direction of 230 degrees and wind from 6-10 mph challenged the fleet. Southworth nailed the start and headed left. Tacking short of the layline, to take advantage of the tide. Southworth led from Stefan Karsunke of Germany and Walkusch of Sweden.

Gybing immediately on the run, he opened his lead throughout the race, until the run to the finish. Class stalwart, Stuart Jardine moved from fifth to second place, by playing his own personal wind bend through the fleet.


At the finish it was Southworth, from Jardine, Walkusch, Karsunke and in fifth place, David Ellis.

Ian Southworth leads the series with 5 points, from Stuart Jardine on 19 points and Al Clarke on 22 points.