Howth Yacht Club is celebrating a great victory after Joseph Murphy’s J/24 Rockstar claimed 1st Overall at the prestigious 2025 J/24 “Lambert Lai” Upstate New York District Championships, hosted by Rochester Yacht Club on Lake Ontario.

Murphy, an Overseas Member and proud alumni of the HYC K25 Youth Squad, was joined onboard by fellow HYC sailor Ciarán White, alongside Rochester locals Travis Odenbach, Jimmy Barnash, and Dean Granchelli.

The victory came at a venue that will attract global attention in 2027 when Rochester YC hosts the J/24 World Championships. The regatta gave competitors a real taste of Lake Ontario’s notoriously complex conditions, which included: light to moderate winds, dramatic shifts of nearly 270 degrees in a single day, bright sunshine, heavy rain, and strong current.

Day 1
The opening day began in light to moderate breeze on flat water, with Rockstar taking a race win in the first race. The team looked set for another victory in Race 2, leading from the start, before the race was abandoned on the second upwind. In the final short race of the day, a downwind lull and a late right-hand shift saw the pack roll past, leaving the team outside the top three.

Day 2
With everything still to play for, Murphy and crew left the dock with a clear target: three Top-3 finishes would secure the title. In tricky “washing-machine” style swell, caused by the combination of breeze and opposing current, the Race Committee delivered three races. Rockstar rose to the challenge, scoring 3,2,2 to seal the District Championship.

Final Standings

1st – Joseph Murphy’s Rockstar (Howth Yacht Club / Rochester YC)

2nd – Greg Eiffert’s Boats A Rocking (Owasco YC, NY)

3rd – Tom Doran’s Oz (Owasco YC, NY)

4th – Kirk Reynolds’ Tyrus (Skaneateles Sailing Club, NY)

Murphy and team will continue their North American campaign with their next event – the East Coast Championships in Annapolis this October.

Full Results Here