Seven races are now in the books, and Will Welles launched into first place at the J/24 US National Championship, hosted by Beverly Yacht Club in Massachusetts. In pristine conditions, Welles and his Cougar crew began Saturday with a sixth-place finish, and then won the next three races. Tossing an 11 in race two, Welles now tallies 14 points, heading into the final day of competition. Michael Marshall’s Pipe Dream also notched a stellar day with a 3,2,3,3, and moved into second place overall with 22 points. John Mollicone’s Helly Hansen is five points back in third place. Winds around 16 knots greeted competitors on a sunny Saturday morning, when Mike Ingham’s Nautalytic acquired the day’s first win. Mollicone trailed in second, and Marshall in third. Welles grabbed his first of three consecutive bullets in the next bout, as Marshall and Ingham completed the upper three. Following Welles in the day’s third race, in winds ranging between 12-16 knots, was Thomas Barbeau’s Navtech.ca and Marshall. The familiar trio of Welles, Ingham and Marshall again led Saturday’s final battle. Topping the six-boat Women’s Division is Natalie Penner’s Giggles. Forty-five teams are competing in Marion, including entrants from various areas of the United States, along with several Canadian crews and even representatives from Japan, France and Australia. Racing concludes Sunday. Complete results may be found at www.2014j24nationals.org, and photos are available on the J/24 Class Facebook page.