Skipper Neil Burke and the Impulse crew are celebrating as national champions of J24 yachting in Barbados.
After an outstanding season, in which Impulse landed podium positions in eight of nine regattas, Burke and crew were officially presented with the Range Rover Championship award during a ceremony last Friday night at the Barbados Yacht Club.
Impulse won four regattas and placed among the top three in four others, as they topped the standings in competition with 13 rival teams.
Impulse finished with 11 points, while Hawkeye, who previously won three consecutive seasons, were second on 17 points. Third were Esperanza (21 points), followed by Fully Covered (25 points), FadeAway (31 points) and ISIS on 34 points.
“Our crew turned in solid and consistent performances all year,” said skipper Burke, who has been sailing for more than 25 years.
“Our lowest placing was fourth in the Harris Paints event and it was really a good season for us.”
Other members of the champion crew were former top jockey Johno Jones (mastman), Bruce Greenidge (bowman), Kevin Tryhane (mastman), Kevin Burke (tactician) and Brian Gibbs (jib trimmer).
President of the J24 Club of Barbados Gregory Webster described the season as an exciting and successful one and thanked all sponsors and supporters for their contribution.
“The level of competition was great and the standard of yacht racing has been improving.
“That is great for the sport as all the teams are being pushed to improve their performances with a view to representing Barbados on the world stage,” said Webster. (PR)
