J/Newsletter- October 29th, 2026

As October winds down, the J/Boats calendar is still delivering championship titles, close one-design battles, and late-season regatta traditions across Europe and North America—while the first major offshore events of 2027 are already on the horizon.

In Switzerland, Regattaclub Oberhofen won the J/70 HEIDI Cup after a remarkably tight women’s sailing league regatta on Lake Thun. In Italy, BRUSCHETTA GUASTAFESTE topped the latest stop on the J/24 National Circuit at Lake Como, racing in the region’s famously shifty mountain breezes.

Annapolis produced several championship stories. REDLINE and RYTHMIC PUMPING captured the J/24 and J/22 East Coast Championships after nine races in classic Chesapeake fall conditions, while MIRAGE won the J/105 Chesapeake Bay Championship. Now attention shifts to the J/70 North American Championship, where fifty-four teams from seven countries are gathering at Annapolis Yacht Club ahead of the 2027 J/70 World Championship at the same venue.

On the West Coast, Scott Harris won the Don Trask International Masters Regatta in San Diego after ten races in provided J/105s. The event once again demonstrated the appeal of equal-boat racing, where accomplished veteran sailors rotate through the fleet and rely on adaptability, teamwork, and tactical skill.

At the same time, another major J/70 championship is opening thousands of miles to the south. Fifteen teams from Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina are gathering in Algarrobo, Chile, for the J/70 South American Championship— creating the unusual spectacle of North American and South American continental championships beginning at nearly the same time.

Looking ahead there are three prestigious regattas. One is the inaugural Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta sailed on J/105s in Seattle, WA. Sailing a similar format at the opposite end of the Pacific coastline will be the 111th Lipton Cup hosted by San Diego Yacht Club, sailing in a fleet of J/105s. Finally, one of offshore sailing’s great Caribbean classics is returning. The 36th Pineapple Cup– Montego Bay Race will start April 10, 2027, sending competitors approximately 811 nautical miles from Miami across the Gulf Stream, past the Bahamas and Cuba, through the Windward Passage, and on to Jamaica.

From women’s J/70 league racing and classic J/22, J/24, and J/105 championships to simultaneous continental J/70 showdowns and the return of a legendary offshore race, the J/Boats season is closing out October with plenty of competition still ahead. 

Regattaclub Oberhofen Wins Swiss J/70 HEIDI Cup on Lake Thun

(Spiez, Switzerland)- The annual “fall classic” for the J/70 Swiss women’s sailing league circuit is the HEIDI Cup raced in a fleet of matched J/70 one-design sailboats. Hosted this year by Yacht Club Spiez, the thirteen women’s teams enjoyed an excellent regatta sailing nine races on the gorgeous Lake Thun (Thunersee) just south of the city of Bern (the capital of Switzerland). The regatta was notable for the extremely competitive racing between four teams for the top three spots on the podium! Here’s how it all went down.

Racing in the sailing league format, the teams rotate into their boats for each flight, so scores often reflected leaders having the same score! In the end, just four points separated the top four teams. READ MORE HERE.

BRUSCHETTA GUASTAFESTE Wins J/24 Coppa Città di Valmadrera

(Tivano, Italy)- The ninth stage of the Italian J/24 National Circuit concluded this past week successfully on the waters of the spectacular Lago di Como in the northern lakes district. Circolo Velico Tivano hosted and organized the event, with support from Lake Como Fleet Captain Mauro Benfatto. The ten-boat fleet raced in the 25th edition of the prestigious “Coppa Città di Valmadrera”.

The two days of racing were defined by the “Breva,” Lake Como’s characteristic southerly wind. Despite rain on Sunday, conditions allowed for all six scheduled races to be completed: three on Saturday, with gusts between 9 and 12 knots, and three on Sunday, with variable winds reaching up to 11 knots.

The leaderboard was fiercely contested, with many changes race by race for the podium spots. It stands to reason there would be violent swings in the results on the often wildly shifty lake breezes surrounded by the mountains.

The weekend became a cause for celebration for the two sisters- Sonia and Alessia Ciceri- that won the regatta on their BRUSCHETTA GUASTAFESTE. READ MORE HERE.

REDLINE and RYTHMIC PUMPING Win J/24 & J/22 East Coast Championships!

(Annapolis, MD)- Blessed with classic fall sailing conditions on the Chesapeake Bay, the Severn Sailing Association’s veteran, well-practiced Race Committee/ PRO team were able to knock off nine races over the three days for the enthusiastic fleets of J/22s and J/24s sailing their annual fall East Coast Championships. The racing was tactically challenging for the teams. Here’s how it all went down in this traditional fall classic for both classes. 

J/24 East Coasts
In what many would see as a popular winner, it was the fun-loving team of Mike Stasko’s REDLINE (crew of Gavin Smith, Aaron Holland, Joe Fabiano, and Andrew Green) from Lake Canandaigua in upstate New York that posted one of their best efforts to be crowned the 2026 J/24 East Coast Champion. READ MORE HERE.

MIRAGE Wins 2026 J/105 Chesapeake Bay Championship in Annapolis

(Annapolis, MD)- The 2026 J/105 Chesapeake Bay Championship was organized by Annapolis Yacht Club on October 17–18, with racing taking place on the northern Chesapeake Bay at the opening of the Severn River. The eighteen-boat fleet enjoyed nice breezes, and the fleet completed a three-race series.

Clearly relishing the gorgeous day and great sailing conditions, Cedric Lewis’s MIRAGE team posted a breathtaking 3-1-1 tally for 5 pts total to be crowned the 2026 J/105 Chesapeake Bay Champions!

The balance of the podium was an entirely different story. It was a “mano-a-mano” battle between Ray Wulff’s PATRIOT crew and Angelo Guarino’s CRESCENDO team. READ MORE HERE. 

Scott Harris Wins 2026 J/105 Don Trask International Masters Regatta
(San Diego, CA)- Scott Harris of Coronado Yacht Club, along with crew Gary Weisman, Chuck Sinks, Jon Rogers, Al Pleskus, and Peter Van Waay, emerged victorious at the 2026 Don Trask International Masters Regatta, holding off a talented fleet of 12 skippers after 10 races over three days on South San Diego Bay. Hosted by San Diego Yacht Club, the annual invitational regatta that requires skippers to be 60 years of age or older brought together accomplished sailors from across the country and Mexico for a weekend of tactical racing, shifting breeze, and tight competition in J/105s. READ MORE HERE. 

World Champions Head to Annapolis for 2026 J/70 North American Championship
(Annapolis, MD)- The Annapolis Yacht Club is hosting this year’s 2026 J/70 North American Championship ahead of the 2027 J/70 World Championship at the same venue. This weekend, fifty-four boats are attending from seven countries: USA, Brazil, Spain, Sweden, Great Britain, Bermuda, and Canada. The Annapolis YC’s very capable RC/PRO team are hoping to get in the full slate of ten races over the scheduled four days of racing.

The entry list is stacked with a remarkable slate of World and Continental Champions, plus several Olympic Medallists. READ MORE HERE.

J/70 South American Championship Opens in Algarrobo, Chile
(Algarrobo, Chile)- The Cofradía Náutica del Pacífico in Algarrobo will be hosting the J/70 South American Championship this coming weekend from October 27–31. The event marks the very rare coincidence of two continental championships beginning on the same day in North and South America!

Fifteen teams from four nations (Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina) are looking forward to three days of racing on the rolling Pacific swells just off the entrance of the Cofradía Náutica del Pacífico’s remarkable waterfront facilities (how often does a yacht club have its own 25-ton Travel Lift)? READ MORE HERE.

Inaugural Pacific Coast J/105 Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta Heads to Seattle
(Seattle, WA)- Coming up on November 13-15, for the first time, top collegiate sailors from around the country will gather in Seattle to race on local J/105s in the Pacific Coast J/105 Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta.

Initially established in the early 1970s in New York by The Corinthians, the Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (IOR) began as an invitational event designed to bring collegiate sailors together with keelboat owners for spirited head-to-head racing each fall out of Larchmont Yacht Club. What started as a single regatta has grown into a nationally recognized series, now hosted in Larchmont, Chicago and now Seattle!

The Seattle event is scheduled for November 13-15 and is co-hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle and the Storm Trysail Club. Students will race J/105 one-design sailboats aboard fourteen locally-owned J/105s. Many of the nation’s top collegiate sailing programs are coming to town, including Brown University, Cal Maritime, College of Charleston, Harvard University, University of Michigan, and the US Coast Guard Academy, among others. And, they will share the water with student athletes from University of Washington and Western Washington University. 

The school with the best combined performance across the Intercollegiate Offshore Regattas will be awarded the “Callisto Cup”. Bestowed by Jim and Kate Murray in 2025, the trophy recognizes the college or university that achieves the strongest overall results in the Storm Trysail Club’s Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta Series (IORS) during a single academic year.

The Pacific Coast IOR will be called the “Hamachi Cup”, a recognizable name to those involved in Seattle-area racing (or following the TransPac Race in recent years). The owners of the Seattle-based J/125 HAMACHI and overall winners of the 2019 TransPac, Shawn Dougherty and Jason Andrews, are some of the local movers and shakers helping to support this event; and the pair have sailed often with Jim Murray aboard his Pac 52 CALLISTO.  READ MORE HERE.

111th Lipton Cup Brings Top Yacht Clubs to Race J/105s on San Diego Bay
(San Diego, CA) – Twelve yacht clubs will converge on San Diego Bay October 30 – November 1 for the 111th Challenge for the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup. A fixture of San Diego Yacht Club’s racing calendar for more than a century, the prestigious invitational brings together teams from across the United States and Canada for three days of tactical racing, close competition and a chance to claim one of interclub sailing’s most coveted trophies.

Donated by Sir Thomas Lipton, the Cup has long united yacht clubs in spirited competition. Its distinctive format puts the emphasis on technical skills and teamwork, with teams competing in matched J/105s provided by SDYC members and rotating boats throughout the regatta. Racing takes place in South San Diego Bay, east of the Coronado Bridge, where sharp starts, precise boat handling and quick tactical decisions can make the difference. With the fleet competing on equal equipment, teamwork, consistency and adaptability will be critical to finding an edge

This year’s lineup spans the West Coast, Gulf Coast and East Coast, with clubs traveling from across the United States and Canada to compete. Defending champion San Diego Yacht Club will look to protect its home-water advantage against a deep field that includes several returning teams and familiar rivals. The regatta also welcomes back Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle and Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, both returning after several years away from the competition. READ MORE HERE.

Pineapple Cup– Montego Bay Race Returns in 2027 as US Open Offshore
(Montego Bay, Jamaica)- The Montego Bay Yacht Club is pleased to announce the return of the Pineapple Cup–Montego Bay Race, with the 36th edition of the iconic Miami-to-Montego Bay offshore race scheduled to start April 10, 2027, hosted by Biscayne Bay Yacht Club. The event will be recognized as US Sailing’s US Open – Offshore, marking an exciting new chapter for one of the Western Hemisphere’s most celebrated ocean races.

Many J/Teams have participated in past events. So far the following J’s are planning to race: Ove Haxthausen’s J/133 RUMBA from Stamford YC, Chris Saxton’s J/125 VORTICES from Bayview YC, and Mike Danielson’s J/112E WINGS from Davis Island YC. Come one, come all! Join in on the fun in the sun!

First contested in 1961, the Pineapple Cup has earned its place among the great challenges in offshore sailing. The approximately 811-nautical-mile course takes competitors from Miami across the Gulf Stream, along the Bahamas, past Cuba and through the Windward Passage before the final approach to Montego Bay, Jamaica. The race demands expert navigation, strategic weather decisions, careful boat preparation, and the endurance required to compete offshore.

The 2027 edition represents an important milestone for the event, bringing together the Pineapple Cup’s storied history and US Sailing’s support for the continued growth of offshore racing. READ MORE HERE.