Whittemore wins 2023 J/24 Worlds

Keith Whittemore’s Furio (USA), with team Willem van Waay, Marianne Schoke, Brian Thomas, and Melanie Edwards, have been crowned 2023 J/24 World Champions. Whittemore, who also won the 2019 J/24 World Championship in Miami, Florida USA, ended this event with only 25 net points in the full 10-race series.

After discarding a 19 from race seven, the Seattle, Washington-based helmsman kept scores in the top seven including three bullets. Ignazio Bonanno’s La Superba (ITA) was second with 40 points, followed by Tony Parker’s Bangor Packet (USA) in third with 52 net points. Parker has been sailing in the J/24 Class for all of its 45 years, and shipped his hull #58 to Greece.

Cillian Dickson’s Headcase of Ireland won the 23-boat Corinthian division, also placing fourth overall and tied on points with Parker. The crew included Ryan Glynn, Marcus Ryan, Louis Mulloy, and Sam O’Byrne. The all-amateur podium was also comprised of Stephan Mais’ Running Men of Germany and Alexandros Tagaropoulos’s Hellenic Police of Greece.

The IJCA awarded its perpetual Youth Turner Trophy to Papanikitas Spiridon-Eleftherios’s Hellenic Naval Academy.

Competitors reveled in gorgeous conditions for five days at the Nautical Club of Thessaloniki in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Top Three Overall:
1) Keith Whittemore, Furio, USA, 25 points
2) Ignazio Bonanno, La Superba, ITA, 40 points
3) Tony Parker, Bangor Packet, USA, 52 points

Top Three Corinthian:
1) Cillian Dickson, Headcase, IRL
2) Stephan Mais, Running Men, GER
3) Alexandros Tagaropoulos, Hellenic Police, GRE

Thirty-five boats from 10 nations and four continents competed from Argentina, Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and the United States on September 12-16.

Event information – Race details – Results – Facebook

Source: J/24 Class