2003 Scuttlebutt Photo Contest

provided by

by Eric Nelson

This boat just 24 hours earlier was leading the 2003 J-24 North American Regatta. ‘mr. happy’ (J-24 1997) had lead the whole regatta from day one but lost the overall lead during the last race of the regatta when the wind filled end in a very unfortuitous way. Now after taking this very hard lump of losing on the last race of the regatta, mr. happy attended the awards ceremony with her head held high. She got a good night sleep and then started the 20-hour drive home from Valle De Bravo, Mexico to Austin, Texas. Along about Saltillo, a brief rain fell turning a perfectly straight (yet bumpy) Mexican Highway into a mr. happy deathtrap. She slid into the median and did her last 720 (that being a double roll end over end with her trailer still attached). She was laid to rest in a Mexican junkyard, with her final fate still being determined by the locals. "Can we make a taco stand out of her, how about some type of carnival ride, ..." was heard around the local bar. (P.S. there is an expertly faired J-24 keel still in the median, coordinates for a rescue/salvage attempt are available.)