Peter Bream’s Team Tarheel grabbed the lead on day one of the J/24 Sea Bags North American Championship with a third and first in the opening day’s races for 4 points. The Florida-based team topped competitors from Japan, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Canada and the USA in the 46-boat fleet. Reigning North American champion John Mollicone on Helly Hansen is two points back with 6, and Matias Seguel of Chile on Semi Pro stands in third with 8 points. Hosted by Sail Newport and J/24 Fleet 50, a spectacular day greeted teams with sunshine, warm temperatures and winds Southwest 12-15 with a 1.5 foot swell and 2 foot chop. Kris Werner of New York got the event started with a win for his team on Sticks, with Mollicone and Bream rounding out the top three in race one. Bream took the bullet in race two, with Seguel in second and 2011 North American champion Travis Odenbach on Honey Badger in third. Racing continues through Sunday. Complete results and live updates may be found at www.2013j24northamericans.com and on Facebook.