J/Newsletter- October 3rd, 2025

As the calendar edges deeper into autumn, the J/Community continues to prove that the sailing season never closes. In the northern hemisphere, the late fall/ midwinter events kick in, and “down under,” their seven-month-long summer is just getting going! From Marblehead to Mattsee, Glücksburg to Montego Bay, Austria to Argentina, fleets large and small have filled the past weeks with the kind of racing, camaraderie, and celebration that define J/sailing worldwide.

In Germany, the Hanseatische Yachtschule marked both history and renewal, christening two new J/40s as part of its 100th anniversary— proof that the next century of offshore instruction is already taking shape. Across the Atlantic, Corinthian sailors took center stage in Marblehead, where Bermuda’s HEDGEHOG team captured the J/70 Corinthian World Championship in a thrilling finale, while in Annapolis and Toronto, North American titles in the J/88 and J/105 classes were hard-fought in the full range of fall conditions— flat calms one day, washing-machine chop the next.

Elsewhere in Europe, the pulse of competition and community remained strong. Women’s and national league champions were crowned in Switzerland and Austria; light-air tacticians battled it out in France’s J/80 Atlantic Telegramme; and Italy’s RABBIT hopped to the top of the J/24 Coppa Italia standings. Meanwhile, in Buenos Aires, preparations are already underway for the J/70 South American Championship, a reminder that while the Northern Hemisphere is winding down, sailors south of the equator are just warming up.

Looking beyond the race course, this season has also been one of reflection and recognition. The National Sailing Hall of Fame honored Newport’s Kenny Read for a lifetime of achievement that began in the J/24 fleet, while the sailing world bid farewell to Don Trask— visionary builder, champion, and tireless advocate for the J/24 and Laser classes. His influence continues to shape the sport for generations to come.

Whether it’s new boats being christened, champions crowned, or legends celebrated, the J/spirit remains unmistakable: competitive yet inclusive, grounded in tradition yet always looking ahead. So settle in and explore this week’s stories — a testament to how the J/ fleet continues to thrive across oceans, generations, and seasons.

J/Boats Boat Show Schedule

(Newport, RI)- It’s fall/ winter boat show time, with major events in Europe and the USA. Dreaming about a new boat for next summer? Now’s the time to plan and browse the latest J/models at the sailboat shows. Here’s the schedule of the major shows:

October 9-12- Annapolis Sailboat Show- Annapolis, Maryland
 On display- J/7, J/9, J/36, J/40, and J/45
 Annapolis Sailboat Show information (https://www.annapolisboatshows.com/sailboat-show/)

January 17-25, 2026- BOOT Düsseldorf- Düsseldorf, Germany
 On display- NEW J/7, J/99, NEW J/36, and J/40
 BOOT Düsseldorf 2026 boat show information (https://www.boot.com/)

Here are links for each J/Boat model that will be on display:
 J/7- https://jboats.com/boats/j7
 J/9- https://jboats.com/j9
 J/99- https://jboats.com/j-99-new
 J/36- https://jboats.com/boats/j36-2025
 J/40- https://jboats.com/j40

Hanseatische Yachtschule Christens Two New J/40s
(Blacksburg, Germany)- The christening of two brand new J/40s recently took place at Hanseatische Yachtschule in Glücksburg, Germany. The weekend ceremony celebrated the 100th anniversary of Deutscher Hochseeportverband Hansa (DHH). The new J/40s will be part of the offshore cruising and daysailing programs starting in the summer of 2026. They’re joining a large fleet of J/80s that are also used for sailing instruction.  READ MORE HERE.

HEDGEHOG Crowned J/70 Corinthian World Champions!
(Marblehead, MA)- Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, MA, welcomed twenty-nine all-amateur teams to the third annual J/70 Corinthian World Championship. While the previous two editions took place in Europe (Italy & Denmark), this Corinthian regatta moved to the United States for the first time in this celebrated format. The battle for the podium between several talented teams from the USA, Bermuda, and Mexico went down to the wire on the final day. In the end, it was the Bermudian team led by Alec Cutler and his HEDGEHOG team of ex-US Naval Academy All-American dinghy sailors that were crowned the 2025 J/70 Corinthian World Champions. Here is how it all went down each day.  READ MORE HERE.

J/88 North Americans Witness HIWASSEE Eclipse!
(Annapolis, MD)- The 2025 J/88 North American Championship, hosted by the Annapolis Yacht Club, enjoyed very competitive racing for the dozen teams that sailed on the northern reaches of Chesapeake Bay. In the end, one team came ready to “play ball” and nearly ran the table with all bullets, an amazing achievement in the tough J/88 class. As a result, it was John Bell and Ray Wulff’s HIWASSEE that were crowned the 2025 J/88 North American Champions. Here is the summary from four days of racing by Annapolis YC PRO Dick Neville.  READ MORE HERE.

NIUHI Dominates J/105 North American Championship
(Toronto, ONT, Canada)- Eighteen teams from the USA and Canada participated in the J/105 North American Championship hosted by Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto, Ontario. Sailing was taking place on the infamous Lake Ontario; a mill pond one day, to violent 5-foot breaking waves the next day. Pick your poison when prepping for this regatta in late September, when virtually any weather can hit the fleet- billiard table flat waters to getting tossed around in violent washing machine chop. 

In the end, the battle of the “super J/105s” (e.g., Non-SCRIMP boats) was won by a San Francisco team- Randy Hecht’s NIUHI. After winning their first four races, they backed off on the throttle and used unleaded corn-fed gas instead of nitrous! Hahaha. Here is how it all went down for the rest of the fleet (e.g., the SCRIMP boats) left spinning in their wake.  READ MORE HERE.

MOJITO Wins J/80 Atlantic Telegramme
(Lorient, France)- The Centre Nautique de Lorient in Lorient, France, hosted the classic early fall regatta in the summer-long series of the J/80 French Cup- the Atlantic Telegramme Regatta. Eighteen teams participated in this year’s weekend event, which was punctuated by predominantly light airs. Here is Ludovic Gilet’s report on the regatta.

The races were beautiful and hard-fought, driven by an ever-friendly atmosphere on land, within the Sailing Valley. Sailing conditions ranged from medium to strong winds, with a very nice end to the day on Saturday and an equally pleasant Sunday.

It was a regular in the series, a local on the stage, who won in the light-weather races: Éric Brezellec on MOJITO. Sailing with him was a historic crew of friends- Alicia Vincent, Alexis Aveline, Marie Liger, and Matthieu Legard.  READ MORE HERE.

American YC Fall Regatta Update
(Rye, NY)- The 35th annual American Yacht Club Fall Regatta, virtually a J/Fest regatta for passionate J/Sailors, is taking place for two weekends in succession- September 27-28 and October 4-5. Of the 76 offshore keelboat teams sailing the regatta, 42 J/teams are representing 55.0% of the fleet. Racing is taking place in Western Long Island Sound just south of Rye, New York. After the first weekend, here is how it all went down in the various divisions.  READ MORE HERE.

Regattaclub Bodensee Crowned Swiss J/70 Women’s Sailing League Champions
(Zurich, Switzerland)- The Zürcher Segel Club on Lake Zurich played host to eleven women’s teams from across the Alpine nation of Switzerland for the Swiss J/70 Women’s Sailing League Championship. The ZSC’s RC/ PRO team managed to run seven races in the challenging light air sailing conditions the fleet experienced all weekend.  READ MORE HERE.

Burgenland YC Crowned 2025 Austrian J/70 Sailing League Champions 
(Mattsee, Austria)- The dramatic finale of the eleventh Bundesliga season on Lake Mattsee was marked by unusually high temperatures, little wind, and thus few races. Nevertheless, the championship remained exciting until the very end. Hosting the exciting event was the Mattsee Sailing Club.

Two rounds were completed on Friday, enough for the hosts from the Mattsee Sailing Club (SCM) to close the four-point deficit to the defending champions from the Burgenland Yacht Club (BYC). This set the stage for a long and dramatic sailing weekend. 

The midsummer temperatures and the accompanying light winds added to the excitement. As on the opening day, sailing on Saturday and Sunday was only possible in the afternoon. An easterly wind with a generally southerly weather pattern created extremely difficult tactical conditions on all three days.   READ MORE HERE.

RABBIT Wins J/24 Coppa Italia- Anzio Act VI
(Anzio, Italy)- With a brace of victories in the five races sailed, Francesco Nucara’s RABBIT and crew of  Fabio Ascoli, Paolo Boero, Simone Fojanini, and Nicolò Gaddi won the sixth stage of the Italian J/24 National Circuit, held this past weekend in the waters of Anzio. 

On the podium in second place was the winner of the penultimate race, Massimo Mariotti’s AVOLTORE with crew of Francesco Cruciani, Fulvio Cruciani on sheets, Goffredo Russo, and Maria Sole De Blasi on the bow.

Michele Potenza’s ARPIONE and crew of Panfilo Del Beato Corvi, Italo Paulini, Giuseppe Speziale, and Elisabetta Centeone bowman rounded out the podium with the bronze medal.

“It was my first time in Anzio, both as a competitor and as an owner. I must say the race course did not disappoint, giving us a first day of light winds with a few shifts that created quite a few difficulties for us,” commented Francesco Nucara. “The second day featured stronger winds, conditions that were more favorable to us, as we were fresh from recent experiences in Wemeldinge (European J24 Championship) and Plymouth (World Championship). The level of the boats present was good, and the warmth and friendliness of their crews was great. READ MORE HERE.

J/70 South American Championship Preview
(Buenos Aires, Argentina)- From October 2nd to 5th, 2025, the eponymous Yacht Club Argentino in Buenos Aires will be hosting the 2025 J/70 South American Championship for a hot, competitive fleet of fifty-two boats. Amongst that fleet are well-known skippers that have competed on the world stage in midwinter series in Miami/ Tampa Bay, off Cowes, England, Monaco, Sardinia, and other places for J/70 North American, J/70 European, and J/70 World Championships.  READ MORE HERE.

Jamin’ J/22 Montego Bay Regatta Announcement
(Montego Bay, Jamaica)- The Montego Bay Yacht Club is proud to present the 36th running of their iconic event- the Jamin’ J/22 Montego Bay Regatta in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The regatta will be held from December 4th to 7th, 2025, in the gorgeous aquamarine blue waters of Montego Bay.

The regatta has to be a serious consideration for anyone’s “bucket list” experiences for sailing around the world. It’s an open invitational regatta, so anyone can go. But it’s first-come, first-served. Bring your own crew, bring your racing sails, and the MBYC J/22 fleet supplies you a boat for the nominal entry fee of $900.00. 

The venue is simply one of the best in the world. Situated on the north shore of Jamaica, Montego Bay is a large natural harbor. The Caribbean trade winds of 10 to 18 kts typically blow from the east, paralleling the shoreline. With plenty of sun, good breeze, and shirts & shades weather in the high 70s/ low 80s, it’s truly a sailor’s paradise.  READ MORE HERE.

Kenny Read Inducted into USA’s National Sailing Hall of Fame
(Newport, RI)- The National Sailing Hall of Fame plays a pivotal role in celebrating the rich legacy of sailing and its impact on American culture. The sport of sailing has been shaped by generations of individuals who have demonstrated the courage and conviction to plot their own courses, defy convention, and redefine excellence. Newport’s Kenny Read happens to be one of them, having cut his teeth in the world of J/24 sailing for decades to launch his sailing career.

“College Sailing Gave Me a Career Pathâ€
Early in life, Kenny thought he would attend law school after college or work in his family’s business. He had enviable success growing up as a junior sailor on Narragansett Bay and says he was “an unheralded freshman†when he went to college. His sailing team coach at Boston University, Skip Whyte, recognized young Ken’s talent and named him the starter for the freshman championship being held at the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club. Ken describes himself at the time as being “too brash and took too many chances.†The New England Freshmen Championship was the first time Ken Read realized he could successfully compete against his peers from across the nation. In 1982, he was awarded the Everett B. Morris Trophy as the College Sailor of the Year.  READ MORE HERE.

Eight Bells: Don Trask
We’re very saddened to share the news that Don Trask, long-time colleague, friend and sailing icon, passed away September 29, 2025, in Mooresville, North Carolina, surrounded by family and online well-wishers. 
 
Don started sailing as crew for his father, graduated to Snipes, and then Stars, where he won the 1966 North American Championship, two District Championships, and placed 3rd in the 1967 World Championship.

Don’s connection to J/Boats started in 1973, when Bob Johnstone founded the 1st US Youth Sailing Championship in Wilmette, IL.  READ MORE HERE.

J/Gear HOLIDAY Special- 20% off!
(Newport, RI)- We’re offering the J/Holiday Special from October through November 15th, 2025! 20% off on ALL orders!

But the 1/2 hull models are exempt from this offer.

Order early to ensure a Happy Holidays delivery!

Holiday discount coupon:  JB2025HS

For any clothing, hats, blankets, and so forth, choose your J/Class logo and customize with boat name and sail number as an option. 

Browse all products here on the J/GEAR website:
https://jgear.vsport.biz