Odenbach’s Honeybadger team Wins!
When Seattle—a city famous for its coffee, rain, and salmon—puts on a show, you can bet your last shackle that it’s going to be a great experience, especially when world-class sailboat racing is involved. Such was the case at the Seattle 2024 J24 World Championship presented by Beecher’s Handmade Cheese (September 28—October 5), which concluded yesterday on the waters of Puget Sound in about 10 knots of northerly breeze and under rippled clouds that were punctuated by pockets of blue. After the day started off with a postponement that allowed the northerly winds to gather, skipper Travis Odenbach and his Honeybadger (USA 5325) crew put on a master class by decisively earning the day’s only bullet and capturing the championship title in the 56-boat fleet.
“That’s a relief!” exclaimed a jubilant Odenbach moments after winning the regatta. “I’ve been trying to win the J/24 Worlds for 10 years!” While Odenbach has won the J/24 U.S. Nationals Championship and has previously finished second and third in the J/24 Worlds, this regatta represented a massive commitment to high-level racing in the world’s most popular keelboat. “We made a plan in January,” he said, noting that they carefully stuck with it. “We’re from the Great Lakes, which is a little bit different because it isn’t tidal.” The solution, he said, was to enlist a top-notch crew, including tactician and former Olympian Dave Hughes. “I had a lot of good people who helped make this happen,” he said of his talent-riven team.
Odenbach’s Honeybadger crew were joined on the winner’s podium by Mike Ingham, skipper of USA 5443, and his crew, who finished in second place, and skipper Kohei Ichikawa and his Gekko Diana (JPN 5450) team. Amongst Corinthians, skipper Nobuyuki Imai and his Siesta (JPN 5185) crew took top honors, followed by skipper Jakob Lichtenberg’s Hair of the Dog (USA 5354) crew, and Daniel Borrer’s Jesus Lizard (USA 2436) team.
In the All-Female division, skipper Elisabeth Hudson’s Two Shots (USA 2342) crew was the boat to beat, followed by Lee Ann Zaretsky’s Lady Minx (USA 5482) team, and Chloe Nunn’s Super G (GBR 4260) squad. Amongst the Under-25 division, Sam Hopper’s Saltine (USA 62) was the quickest around the buoys, followed by Ryan Milne’s Jester (USA 5470) team, and Yuki Sekine’s Gyosyu (JPN 5273).
While the last day yielded a single race, the regatta delivered a total of nine engaging races over five full days of racing and saw leaderboard shuffles and plenty of great competition within the fleet.
“It’s been awesome,” said Jon Anderson, who served as regatta chair and raced aboard Lichtenberg’s Hair of the Dog. “We picked this time of year specifically because it tends to have better breeze than the rest of the summer, so it’s right on the hybrid of the seasons. Seattle isn’t known for a predictable Miami- or Texas-type breeze where the wind comes from the same direction and the same speed every single day, so it really puts your tactical and strategic skills to the test.”
All sailors reported that the 56-boat fleet showcased the best that competitive one-design keelboat racing offers.
“That theme of, ‘we get to race against Tiger Woods’ is really kind of a big theme this week, because the best in the world were out there,” said Ron Rosenberg, a multi-time world champion sailor who served as tactician aboard Kurt Dammeier’s Amuse Bouche (USA 3379), noting that the fleet saw winds ranging from 5 to 20 knots over the regatta’s nine races. “It was a really strategic regatta, even more than a boatspeed regatta, which made it really challenging for many teams. I think everyone appreciated that challenge.”
While Seattle delivered great on-the-water conditions, all competitors also reported a fantastic onshore scene, which was the result of a lot of hard work from a dedicated cadre of volunteers and sponsors.
“The race committee has been top-notch, and everyday there’s been snacks and things going on in the tent and a few beers if you want them,” Ingham said. “They put on a great show.”
Part of this great synergy between the racing and the onshore scene was made possible by title sponsor Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, as the company’s founder—Kurt Beecher Dammeier—is a dedicated J/24 sailor.
“The competition is fantastic, 56 boats, and there’s probably 35 of them that could win a race at any time,” Dammeier said. This is reflected in the results: While Odenbach and Honeybadger took three bullets, the other wins were scattered across the fleet, with no other team taking more than one bullet.
“I think it’s been perfect for this regatta to have a prominent, local sponsor—that’s not a bank—to be here to represent,” Dammeier continued. “I hope that this can be the model going forward, with every new Worlds seeking something that’s endemic to their place as a lead sponsor,” he said, noting that this helps infuse the regatta with a sense of place.
Please visit www.j24worldsseattle.org to learn more about the Seattle 2024 J24 World Championship. The 2025 J/24 World Championship will be held on the waters off of Plymouth, England, from September 6-14. Please visit www.j24worlds2025.com to learn more about next year’s J/24 championship regatta.
