There’s no more iconic a race course in J/24 Class history than the 18-mile track around Conanicut Island in Narragansett Bay that helped decide the outcome of the first J/24 North Americans in 1978, and then the first J/24 World Championship in 1979. It would be impossible to count how many times J/24s have circumnavigated Conanicut Island since, but it would be safe to say the “Around the Island Race” is the all-time favorite for generations of J/24 Fleet 50 sailors, not to mention a big income generator for local boat repair shops. If you’ve never raced along a rocky coastline interspersed with beautiful beaches, a cool summer sea breeze and lots of current, then this is the race for you!
To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the J/24 Class, J/Fest New England and Sail Newport invite all J/24 sailors, past and present, to enter the Around the Island Race with the first gun at 1300 on Friday, August 11. To make a whole weekend of it, there’s W/L buoy racing Saturday and Sunday as part of J/Fest New England. For more info: www.jfestnewengland.com