J/70s & J/80s Enjoy Famous Kingston Sailing Weather!

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)- In preparation for the 2026 J/80 North Americans and J/80 Worlds regattas in July next year, CORK/ Sail Kingston, in collaboration with the J/80 North American Class Association, hosted a 3-day “test event†regatta in Kingston, Canada on June 27-29. Most notably, the regatta was employing the Vakaros RaceSense starting system – a first for J/80’s in North America.

A dozen J/80’s and a slightly smaller fleet on J/70’s from fleets across eastern Canada and northeastern US enjoyed three spectacular sailing days with a total of eight races run in the champagne sailing conditions that Kingston, “the freshwater sailing capital of the worldâ€, is known for.

Day 1 included some unsettled weather with shifty winds and rain to start before settling in to 10-12 knots from the south. Day 2 saw a solid 20 knot southwest system wind blow throughout the day with brilliant sunshine and 25 C temperatures. Day 3 started with light air under cloudy skies before the 12-15 knot Kingston thermal filled in by early afternoon.

US sailor Connor Hayes’s MORE GOSTOSA from Winnipesaukee Yacht Club won the regatta. Then, Brian Gibbs’s BLIND FAITH from Jubilee Yacht Club, along with Hugh McGugan’s BREAKAWAY J from Kingston Yacht Club, battled it out for the top three spots in the J/80 fleet, with Hayes winning the event, followed by Gibbs and McGugan.

As promised, the Vakaros RaceSense system, along with a GPS-enabled pin boat, delivered a “no general recall†and “next start quick turnaround†experience throughout the regatta as the sailors gained experience with Vakaros-enabled starting.

The J/80 2026 Worlds are set for July 18-27, 2026, and J/80 North Americans for July 8-12, 2026 – both regattas will be hosted by CORK and Sail Kingston. The Canadian J/80 fleet is looking forward to competitors attending from around the world!