As we prepare for a new season the J/24’s can look back to the success of 2023, most notably an Irish team winning the European Championships for the first time.
Team Headcase travelled to Hungry for the European Championships in late August and in very tricky conditions sailed a consistent series to claim the title. Shortly after being crowned European champions they travelled to Greece for the Worlds and very narrowly missed out on a podium finish taking a very creditable 4th place.
The J/24’s are a well established class not only here in Ireland but worldwide, with it’s strict one design rules and tight racing the class has produced many top sailors over the years.
At class level here in Ireland the season is based around 4 to 5 key events, 3 or 4 regional events and a National Championships. This year will see boats travelling to Foynes, Wicklow, Dun Laoghaire and Lough Erne with some making their way across the water to Plymouth for the UK National Championships and one or two making the journey to Sardinia for the Europeans and Seattle for the Worlds.
The Class has a strong Under 25 program supported by ICRA which has introduced many young sailors to keelboat racing. This initiative was first introduced by Howth Yacht Club around 2012 and has now been adopted by many Clubs around the country, J/24s can now be seen in Royal Cork, Kinsale, Foynes, Tralee Bay, Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Mullaghmore, Lough Ree, Lough Erne, Skerries, Malahide, Howth, Dun Laoghaire to name but a few. With a mixture of youth and well established sailors not only is there a wealth of experience to pass on with regards to racing, boat setup etc. There is a great social scene at the events.
This year is building up to be an exciting season with returning to Foynes (always a great event), a new venue in Wicklow and Lough Erne for our Nationals (The last time we had our nationals here we had our record number of entries of over 30 boats), all with the added incentive of getting ranking points to qualify for the World Championships in Plymouth in 2025.
2024 Calendar:
18/19 May Western Championships - Foynes Yacht Club
11-16 June European Championships - Porto Cervo - Italy
12-14 July UK National Championships - Plymouth
27/28 July Southern Championships - Wicklow Sailing Club
23-25 August National Championships - Lough Erne Yacht Club
7/8 September Eastern Championships (J-Cup)— Royal Irish Yacht Club
28 September - 5 October - World Championships - Seattle - USA
To find out more about J/24s check out www.j24ireland.ie and the Facebook page J/24 Association of Ireland.