THE BOAT:
DESIGNER:
BUILDER/ YEAR:
OWNER(S):
MANAGER:
HOME PORT:
YACHT CLUB(S):
NATALIE J
Botin Partners
Cookson Boat Builders, 2015
Phil & Sharon O’Niel
Sharon O’Niel
Muskegon, MI
Bayview YC, Storm Trysail Club
“We look forward to another great season of competitive racing in the Great Lakes against some top-notch programs and good friends. ”
~ Phil O’Niel
Owners Phil and Sharon O’Niel have been sailing seven different boats all named NATALIE J over the past fifty years! While primarily based in the Great Lakes, they have sailed on the East Coast participating in five Newport to Bermuda Races, numerous NYYC Regattas in addition to West Coast events including the Cabo San Lucas and Transpacific Races.
NATALIE J was among the first TP52 on the Great Lakes. Since 2010 this team has won five BYC Mackinac Races Overall, Chicago Mackinac Overall and the Queens Cup Overall. They were also First to Finish the BYC Mac, the Chicago Mac and the Queen’s Cup
In 2019, when other TP52’s came into the Lakes, the couple purchased the current NATALIE J– a PAC 52 and were among the founding owners of the Great Lakes 52 fleet that brought bringing together owners of very similar boats that were committed to sailboat racing excellence and camaraderie. The team is enormously proud to have been the 2022 GL52 Overall Season winner— which in the GL52 fleet is determined by the best scores in both inshore and offshore races.
The NATALIE J team has always been a family and friends’ program, starting with Phil’s Mom and Dad, brother, and cousins. The tradition continues with son Philip, daughter Mallory and son-in-law Bora Gulari. Co-owner, Sharon O’Niel told us, “We have been fortunate to sail with a very consistent and talented crew over the years and have augmented that core team with excellent sailors and shipmates, both amateur and professional.”
GL52 Racing 