West Coast Fleet Ready for J/70 US Nationals in Santa Barbara
(Santa Barbara, CA)- For the first time, the J/70 US Nationals are being held from July 10-12, 2026, on the west coast of America, and the host will be the Santa Barbara Yacht Club in Santa Barbara, CA. The thirty-eight teams registered should look forward to the usual fabulous hospitality provided by the Santa Barbara YC legions of member volunteers at their amazing ocean-front location- the beach on one side and the harbor on the other side, right on the Pacific Ocean overlooking the glorious Channel Islands. The weather and the city are perfect, and it’s been called the “Riviera of America”. None other than two former British royals live there, as does Oprah Winfrey, the famous talk show host for a few decades, from Chicago. IF you know anything about “stuffed toys”, you’d also know that Ty Warner, founder of the infamous “Beanie Babies” franchise, also left Chicago for the sunny, sybaritic shores of Santa Barbara. Lots of famous celebrities live there, too. But, we don’t care since we love Oprah and our Beanie Babies from Chicago!
Naturally, as sailors from Seattle, WA know, their weather “can’t hold a candle” to Santa Barbara’s near-perfect sunny days and local sea breezes every day- no rain, 60s at night, 70s daytime. It’s a perfect weather script that’s hard to resist for the rain & mist-drenched Seattle-lites enveloped in clouds and fog, craving for something more than the lily-white complexion of Victorian ladies. Answering that call are eleven teams- 1/3 of the fleet- driving down the Pacific Coast Highway scenic Route 1, looking forward to their sunny “shangri-la”! Ron Rosenberg, USA Olympic sailing coach and catalyst for the growth of the J/70 fleet in the Pacific Northwest, will be sailing on PONY with Doug Hansen. While there is a bevy of talent in the region, the other known top contender is Andre Loe of DIME fame, a top J/70 team on the national and international J/70 circuit.
As for the California contingent, they’re showing up “en masse” with 24 teams, 9 from Santa Barbara alone! The recent Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week had a strong J/70 class; all of those top players are sailing in the J/70 US Nationals. So, expect to see them do well, like Scott Deardorff’s CAKE, Ryan Cox’s DJ, and Pat Toole’s 3 BIG DOGS. In addition, Jeff Janov’s CRESTER and Tom Garrett’s SLOOP JOHN B should be contenders.
As for anyone outside of the West Coast, the sole teams participating are Mike Sudofsky’s CARLOS from Marion, MA, and David Jannetti’s SAGARA from Annapolis, MD. Both are good teams that have done multiple J/70 winter series and are experienced J/70 regatta veterans.
For more Santa Barbara Yacht Club information
https://www.sbyc.org/
For more J/70 US Nationals sailing information
https://yachtscoring.com/emenu/50623