The Sackett family from Cleveland, Ohio can start planning their trip to Real Club Nautico de Palma in Spain for the 2024 J/70 World Championship. Father and son skippers Tod and Lee Sackett finished first and second, following a one-point difference to decide the J/70 Corinthian US National Championship, securing berths for next year’s premiere J/70 event. Tod Sackett’s FM started Sunday in fourth place overall but racked up scores of 2,1,3 on the day to claim the title with 29 points. The FM crew included Abie Griggs, Jeff Haase and Ian Moran. Lee Sackett & Dave Kerr on USA1516 (winners of the previous two Corinthian National Championships) posted two bullets on the final day but finished just one point shy of the victory. Places three through five were a nailbiter, with Mike Kirkman’s Hot Ticket eking out third place on the tiebreaker with Sean O’Brien’s McFly. David Jannetti’s Very Odd was only another notch back for fifth place. A full slate of nine races was completed. Following a front that passed through overnight, conditions on Lake Saint Clair amped up to 12-16 knots Sunday. The previous two days saw lighter breeze. Michael Booker on USA1516 summarized, “It was a well-run event in a wide range of conditions and great competition!”
Top Five:
- FM, Tod Sackett – 7 -3 -6 -3 -4 -[9] -2 -1 -3 ; 29
- 1516, Lee Sackett & Dave Kerr – 5 -1 -4 -[11] -2 -10 -1 -6 -1 ; 30
- Hot Ticket, Mike Kirkman – 11 -4 -2 -1 -1 -12 -7 -[22] -2 ; 40
- McFly, Sean O’Brien – 6 -2 -1 -2 -8 -2 -12 -7 -[22] ; 40
- Very Odd, David Jannetti – 1 -8 -5 -4 -[11] -7 -4 -8 -4 ; 41
Twenty-one boats competed at Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, MI from August 4-6, with daily coaching from Nick Turney. Photos are available on the US J/70 Class Association Facebook page. Complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=15777.