Keith Whittemore’s Furio extended his lead at the J/24 World Championship, as Biscayne Bay in Miami delivered a wild and exciting day for the 79 teams. Winds were regularly recorded at 18 knots with gusts in the 20s, testing competitors and equipment, and causing some boats to retire early. Whittemore’s Furio, who exceled in the Championship’s lighter days, also shone in the bigger breeze Friday, posting a bullet and a 12 for 32 net points in eight races. Two more races are planned Saturday to conclude the event. Chris Stone’s Velocidad held on to the runner-up position with 41 points, following a 26,5 on the day (discarding the 26). Rossi Milev’s Clear Air maintained the third spot with 42 points. The Seattle-based Furio crew is comprised of Shelby Milne, Willem Van Waay, Mark Rodgerd and Brian Thomas. Whittemore explained that Van Waay has some regatta experience with Furio but joked, “The rest of us has sailed together for 4,000 years.” Whittemore also keeps a boat in Europe, and is regular on that circuit, creating friends and supporters worldwide. After Whittemore in race seven were John Mollicone’s Helly Hansen and Tokuma Takesue’s Gekko. Three J/24 World Champions comprised the top three in race eight: Mauricio Santa Cruz’s Bruschetta, Will Welles Buckaroo and Daniel Frost’s JJOne. Seventy-nine teams from 19 nations (Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Great Britain, Grenada, Hungary, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States) conclude racing Saturday. Photos from event photographer PhotoBoat are available at https://www.photoboatgallery.net/2019j24worldspressphotos. Complete event details may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=5893. Follow on-the-water updates at the International J/24 Class Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ij24ca/).