J/Newsletter- October 15th, 2026
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As October moves deeper into fall, the J/Boats calendar continues to deliver championship titles, major fleet gatherings, and offshore classics on both sides of the Atlantic. From New Orleans and Long Island Sound to France, Malta, Seattle, Annapolis, Texas, and Australia, the season is still very much alive. The biggest championship headline came from New Orleans, where Glenn Darden’s BABY DOLL captured the 2026 J/22 World Championship on notoriously choppy Lake Pontchartrain. Darden and his crew opened with three straight wins, answered a strong challenge from POLAR EXPRESS, and ultimately secured the title with one race to spare. On Long Island Sound, the Storm Trysail Club celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta with what amounted to a massive college J/Fest. Thirty-nine of the forty-seven participating teams raced J/Boats—an extraordinary 83 percent of the fleet—allowing more than 400 college sailors to experience big-boat racing, teamwork, and offshore-style sailing. In France, JIBESET captured the J/70 French National Championship at Lake Biscarrosse after three days of close racing among twenty teams. The inland venue delivered its trademark shifty conditions, rewarding crews that adapted quickly and stayed consistent across the series. The offshore calendar now turns toward one of the great Mediterranean classics. Ninety-four boats are preparing for the 606.0nm Rolex Middle Sea Race around Sicily, with six J/Teams entered across three divisions. Meanwhile, Seattle welcomes twenty-three teams for the J/105 North American Championship, where Puget Sound’s currents, shifting weather, and spectacular mountain backdrop promise a demanding ten-race series. Farther east, Annapolis prepares for its traditional J/24 and J/22 East Coast Championships, while down south Lakewood Yacht Club in Texas gets ready for the Harvest Moon Regatta along the Gulf Coast. Looking farther ahead, Melbourne will host the 2026 J/24 World Championship, featuring a remarkable rematch of the top three teams from the 2025 Worlds— HEADCASE, BANGOR PACKET, and GEKKO. From a long-awaited J/22 World title and a record-setting college J/Fest to national championships, offshore classics, and major one-design showdowns still ahead, this week’s stories show the J/Boats season finishing the year with plenty of competition, community, and momentum. |
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Darden’s BABY DOLL Wins J/22 World Championship in New Orleans (New Orleans, LA)— Glenn Darden’s BABY DOLL won the 2026 Allstate Sugar Bowl J/22 World Championship at Southern Yacht Club, securing a long-awaited first J/22 World title for Darden with his crew of Willem van Waay, Jackson Benvenutti, and Min Min Kelly. Sailing took place on the notorious Lake Pontchartrain east of downtown New Orleans, a body of water famous for its extreme, short, steep, confused “chop” that can often stop boats dead in their tracks! Darden knows those waters, and for good reason! After opening the regatta with three consecutive race wins Wednesday, the Fort Worth, Texas-based Darden faced a spirited challenge from Jeff Hayden’s POLAR EXPRESS on Thursday. But Darden and his crew answered with two more victories, sealing the World Championship with one race to spare. “This is one we’ve been chasing for a while,” said Darden. “This team, everybody pulls together. The camaraderie is great. It’s just a pleasure to sail with them.” What is notable about Glenn’s accomplishments is that he’s been a very competitive one-design sailor since racing dinghies in college at Tulane University in New Orleans. Ironically, he won the J/22 Worlds on his “old home waters” on Lake Pontchartrain. READ MORE HERE. |
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J/Boats Dominate 25th Storm Trysail Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (Larchmont, New York)- The Storm Trysail Club celebrated 25 years of hosting their fabulous event for college sailors on Long Island Sound- the Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta co-hosted with Larchmont Yacht Club in Larchmont, New York. The event has grown stronger over time and has become by far the most popular college sailing regatta in the world! This year, forty-seven colleges participated with thirty-nine teams sailing various J/Boats- an astonishing 83.0% of the fleet! It was a veritable “college J/Fest regatta” on western Long Island Sound for three days! Storm Trysail Club has many reasons to celebrate this 25th anniversary milestone of the IOR regatta. For starters, it was a wise move to organize the event around a generous idea: local boat owners and members sharing their boats, time, and knowledge to introduce college sailors to big-boat racing. Without question, J/Boats owners are passionate about their boats, enthusiastic supporters of their alma maters, and love to introduce new sailors and new crews to their boats- it’s a great source of pride for our J/Boats owners to help promote the sport of sailing to everyone! Organized with Larchmont Yacht Club and supported by the Storm Trysail Foundation, the IOR has grown from just 7 teams back in 2001. The regatta now offers opportunities for a range of college sailing programs, from established collegiate offshore programs to club teams whose sailors have primarily raced dinghies. For some schools, the weekend offers a chance to build a growing offshore team. For others, it is a first chance to take on the different roles, teamwork, and challenges of racing a larger keelboat. Over 400 college sailors answered that call this year, in mixed women/men crews. READ MORE HERE. |
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Leduc’s JIBESET Wins 2026 French J/70 National Championship (Biscarrosse, France)- For the fourth leg of the French Cup, J/70s gathered at Lake Biscarrosse (North Lake) from October 9 to 11 for three days of racing— combining high-level competition with a friendly atmosphere— on one of the finest bodies of water in the Landes region. After four previous editions of the ISPE Trophy, the host Yacht Club Ispe Biscarrosse RC/PRO teams, led by Christophe Galharret and Daniel Masseau, once again did a fantastic job organizing the French J/70 National Championship. A total of twenty teams and 100+ crew looked forward to a wonderful weekend of racing in the fun, challenging, shifty wind conditions characteristic of the gorgeous Lake Biscarrosse. READ MORE HERE. |
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J/Teams Set for 2026 Rolex Middle Sea Race Around Sicily For most racers, the Rolex Middle Sea Race needs little introduction. The race starts and ends in Malta, with an offshore course that circumnavigates the spectacular volcanic island of Sicily, Italy. The 606.0nm journey starts at the Grand Harbor in Valletta, Malta, beneath Fort St Angelo and the Saluting Battery, then the fleet heads northeast along the coast of Sicily toward the Straits of Messina. You can usually spot Mount Etna and hear the volcano rumble, or so they say. The course heads north from the Straits toward Stromboli, another active volcano, where the yachts then turn west toward the Egadi Islands. After reaching Favignana, the fleet heads south towards the island of Lampedusa with the island of Pantelleria on their port side. Once they pass Lampedusa, the fleet heads home toward Malta and finishes at Marsamxett Harbor. The Rolex Middle Sea Race challenges both skippers and crews. Everyone has to be on their A-Game to cope with the demanding and often changeable conditions on the 606.0nm course. Amongst this year’s 94 entries are a half-dozen J/Teams spread over three divisions. READ MORE HERE. |
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Top J/105 Teams Head to Seattle for 2026 North American Championship The event’s Pacific Northwest debut will pair world-class racing with one of North America’s most popular sailing venues. As masters of year-round race management, with 1,000+ races started every year, the Corinthian YC RC/PRO team looks forward to testing the mettle of visiting teams on the notoriously challenging waters of Puget Sound. Ten races are scheduled, not for the faint of heart if classic fall weather conditions hit the fleet: monster depressions rolling off the Gulf of Alaska, down the Straits of Juan de Fuca, and slamming into Puget Sound that the Olympic Mountains frame to the west and Mt. Rainier and the snow-capped Rocky Mountains to the east. The top local teams look forward to testing their level of performance after a long summer of getting “battle-tested” in various regattas and races since the spring! READ MORE HERE. |
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Top J/24 & J/22 Fleets Set for East Coast Championships in Annapolis |
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J/Teams Set for 2026 Harvest Moon Regatta from Galveston to Port Aransas |
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2025 Podium Rivals Reunite for 2026 J/24 World Championship in Melbourne The event’s patron is John Bertrand, who skippered AUSTRALIA II to its historic 1983 America’s Cup victory in Newport, Rhode Island, and won a Finn class bronze medal for Australia at the 1976 Olympics. His involvement connects this international gathering with a landmark chapter in Australian sailing history. Ireland’s HEADCASE, helmed by Cillian Dickson, returns as defending J/24 World Champion after winning the title in Plymouth last year. Tony Parker’s BANGOR PACKET of the United States finished second, while Kohei Ichikawa’s GEKKO of Japan took third. All three appear on the Melbourne entry list, where they will race alongside Australian teams such as HAYWIRE, CHEKCMATE and INNAMINCKA. READ MORE HERE. |
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J/Gear October Special- 20% off! The J/Start Duffel is a great economical solution for the whole crew. Large enough for extended outings and light enough to keep weight down. Dimensions are 27″W x 13″H x 14″D. Features:
Choose your J/Class logo with optional custom imprints. |