HESTIA Crowned Inaugural J/70 US National Champions!
(Ft. Worth, TX)– Eighteen teams ventured to Fort Worth Boat Club in Texas for the first-ever J/70 US National Championship from November 7-10. Gorgeous conditions on the opening day allowed three races, but Mother Nature had different plans for the weekend, as light air forced crews to stay ashore. Fortunately, southern hospitality kept racers smiling throughout the weekend at the recently remodeled club, culminating with Sunday afternoon’s prize-giving.
Jim Murray’s Chicago-based team on HESTIA- Zeke Horowitz, Will Howard and Steven Leuck- tallied scores of 2-1-2 for only 5 points to earn the first plaque on the J/70 US National Championship trophy. HESTIA was one of five boats in the One-Pro Division, securing this achievement as well.
“When it was time to put together our J/70 program, I wanted to stick as close as possible to the Corinthian nature of the sport,” summarized Murray. “But it’s an incredibly competitive Class, and to help us get up the curve faster, we decided to go with the one-pro model.” He continued, “I think we’re incredibly lucky just to be out here sailing. You’re walking around the docks, and you’re surrounded by multiple World Champions, folks who have sailed in the Olympics. It’s an incredible Class. Our vibe from the beginning has been we’re just happy to be here. We’re lucky to be on the line with these folks. We’re just out here to become better sailors.”
Rounding out the podium taking the silver medal was Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS team (Erik Shampain, Steve Hunt, and Jeff Reynolds), winning on a tiebreaker at 12 pts each. Losing that countback to take the bronze medal was Al Minella’s LEVEL 5 crew (Marc Gauthier, John Wallace, and Carlos Robles).
The balance of the top five included Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE and John Sommi’s RELATIVE OBSCURITY, finishing 4th and 5th, respectively.
CORINTHIANS DIVISION
Winning the Corinthians was Ryan Cox’s DJ team (Mike Uznis, Stanton Smith, & RD Burley). Taking the silver was Mike Goldfarb’s WAR CANOE crew (Max Lopez, Shawn Burke, & Ben Glass). Third place went to Roy Lamphier’s BEAT MACHINE family team (Marina Lamphier, Gavin Lamphiere, & Cassidy Chalut).
Photos from Hannah Lee Noll are available here
https://gallery.hannahleenoll.com/j70-nats-2024
Link to winner’s interview- Jim Murray- on YouTube sailing video:
https://youtu.be/FN1AdYDR1Hw
Drone footage- sailing on Day 1
hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnnKkcOHwIc
For J/70 US National Championship results
https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=16334
For more Ft Worth Boat Club event information
https://www.fortworthboatclub.com/