J/Boats News & Reviews

As the northern hemisphere shakes off winter’s grip, the global J/sailing community is surging into action with a packed calendar of regattas that stretch from the windswept shores of San Francisco Bay to the tricky inland waters of Lake Minnetonka, and from the choppy Baltic Seas off Germany’s “sailing city”- Kiel- to the storied Solent off Cowes. With spring conditions bringing everything from glassy calms to gale-force gusts, this season’s early events are already shaping up to be a test of skill, patience, and preparation.
From the J/70 US Nationals in Minnesota and the J/24 North Americans heading to Houston, to iconic offshore challenges like the Oregon Offshore and RORC’s De Guingand Bowl Race, teams across classes are feverishly fine-tuning their boats and chasing hardware. Add in the rising momentum of the European J/70 sailing leagues and local favorites like the Tri-Island Series off Seattle and the Edlu Distance Race on Long Island Sound, and you have a season bursting with promise, performance, and epic challenges.

J/70 US National Championship Preview
(Wayzata, MN)- The 2025 J/70 U.S. National Championship is being hosted by the Wayzata Yacht Club, situated on the beautiful shoreline of Lake Minnetonka. Long a bastion of the world’s best scow sailors, the lake and its two principal sailing clubs have grown into small keelboats over a few decades. First, it was the J/24s, then J/22s, and now the ubiquitous and globally popular International J/70 class. A fleet of thirty-six teams from the left and right coasts, as well as the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains in between, will be testing their mettle on the wildly treacherous, shifty, puffy Lake Minnetonka waters. Plus, there’s lots of weed to muddy things up a bit! Read more here.

J/24 North American Championship Preview 

(Houston, TX)- While their J/70 colleagues will be doing battle in the northern reaches of the Great Plains, the J/24s will be sailing their North American Championship off Houston, TX, at the southernmost part of the Plains in the shallow mud puddle called Galveston Bay!
Hosting the J/24s will be the ever-gracious and wildly fun Houston Yacht Club on the western shores of the Bay. Twenty-one teams from across the vast continent of North America will be competing for the honors of being crowned the 47th winner since the first J/24 NA’s in 1978 in Newport, RI!  Read more here.

German J/70 Sailing League Report

Berlin YC and Bocholt YC take the season lead.(Kiel, Germany)- The 2025 German J/70 Sailing League could not have gotten off to a better start. In perfect spring weather, three days of sailing took place on the Kiel Fjord, directly in front of the Olympic Harbor. While the first day’s offshore winds demanded the crews’ knowledge of the area, Saturday morning’s calm strained the participants’ nerves. However, with little wind, a few flights were possible. Then on Sunday, there was a fresh breeze and bright sunshine.
Not only the perfect sailing weather contributed to the crews’ good spirits, but also the evenings spent together on Friday at the “Lönneberga” in Strande and yesterday with beer and gin and tonics from partner Gin Sul. Read more here.

Most Excellent First Meeting- Norwegian J/70 Sailing League 

(Floro, Norway)- Thanks to Florø Seilforening for another fantastic league meeting! That was the general feeling after the long weekend of racing in amazing sailing conditions. Nine races were sailed by each of the eighteen teams in attendace sailing off the quaint seaside village of Floro, Norway. Read more here.

Breault Crushes J/105 Women’s Skipper Regatta
(San Francisco, CA)- In their continuing efforts to encourage and grow women’s participation in sailing, the St. Francis Yacht Club held their annual J/105 Women’s Skipper Invitational this past weekend on their fleet of J/105s. Eleven women’s skippers took up the challenge to learn more about racing on the gorgeous San Francisco Bay. In a low-key atmosphere, a total of four races were sailed over the weekend. Read more here.

Tri-Island Series Update
(Seattle, WA)- Over the late spring, the Seattle Yacht Club hosts its popular offshore series on Puget Sound and points North known as the “Tri-Island Series”. Throughout the six weekends, the three races that take place are: Protection Island, Vashon Island, and Blake Island Race. The series is popular with the greater Seattle area’s leading offshore J/Teams. After the first two races (Protection Island & Vashon Island), some of those teams are at the top of the leaderboard. Here is the latest news. Read more here.

The Edlu Distance Race Preview

(Larchmont, NY)- This coming weekend, the first of the major offshore races will be taking place on Long Island Sound- the Larchmont Yacht Club’s EDLU Distance Race.
The Edlu Race, first sailed in 1954, has long been a classic tune-up race for the around Block Island Race and Block Island Race Week. Followed by a classic party, it is one of the “must-do” events on western Long Island Sound. Read more here.

Oregon Offshore Race Preview 

(Portland, OR)- Corinthian Yacht Club of Portland, along with the race’s long-time title sponsor, Schooner Creek Boat Works, and with new support from Portland Yacht Club, is proud to present the 49th edition of the Pacific NW Offshore International Yacht Race. The race will challenge the sailor’s skills, navigation ability, tactical skills, and offshore endurance. One hundred ninety-three miles long, this race from the mouth of the Columbia River up the Washington coast and down the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria, BC, will test the competitiveness of the sailors. The race continues to be a great way to qualify for the Pacific Cup, Vic-Maui, Transpac, and other races and to get your boat north for Washington sailing events and/or summer cruising in the famous San Juan Islands. Read more here.

Royal Southern YC May Regatta Preview

J/70 UK Southern Championship(Hamble, England)- This coming weekend, the Royal Southern Yacht Club will be hosting its eponymous springtime mega-event- the May Regatta. Traditionally, the regatta has marked the beginning of the summer season of sailing on the Solent and the RSYC host team rolls out the proverbial red carpet on their huge, expansive decks, serve up tons of great food and, of course, copious amounts of assorted beer and drinks for the hungry and thirsty sailors. The regatta has become a “de facto J/Fest” and has huge appeal for J/sailors that love sailing on the capricious Solent and survive to recount all kinds of “tall tales and sea stories” (both good and bad!).. Read more here.

Elite Keel Regatta Preview 

(Belvedere, CA)- The San Francisco YC    is hosting its annual rite of late spring, the Elite Keel Regatta, for a huge fleet of twenty-six J/105s. It’s in the May to June time frame that San Francisco Bay often serves up its nastiest weather all summer long. Why? Pure, simple physics. The water is colder than late summer and the valleys and mountains to the east heat up to “egg boiling on sidewalks” temperatures of 110 F- plus…. as Tom Blackaller once quoted, “watch out when the Golden Gate water temp is in the low 50s and the valleys eclipsing 100- a 50 F temperature difference. That fuels the famous westerly seabreezes that can often gust into the 30+ kts range by mid-afternoon!  Read more here.

RORC De Guingand Bowl Race Preview

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The Royal Ocean Racing Club’s De Guingand Bowl Race marks the fifth race in the 2025 RORC Season’s Points Championship— the world’s largest offshore racing series. It also serves as Round One of the IRC Two-Handed National Championship and the second race in the exciting new RORC Cowes Offshore Racing Series. Over seventy-five boats are expected to be racing in the approximate 110.0 nm race.
The De Guingand Bowl Race starts and finishes in the Solent off the co-host’s famous Royal Yacht Squadron starting line in front of the Cowes waterfront.  As a result, this gives the RORC race team full flexibility to design a course that is both tactically challenging and strategically demanding for the given weather forecast for the weekend. With no fixed route, the course is set the day before the start, allowing it to respond directly to the forecast and deliver the most dynamic racing possible. Read more here.

J/Puma Zip-Top: May 20% off J/Gear Special
(Newport, RI)- Puma has long been synonymous with outdoor performance gear. The J/Puma Performance Zip Top is a contrasting moisture-managing top and is built to handle robust conditions. Distinctive 2-tone design with your J/Class logo embroidered on the front. Choose from a selection of colors.
Material:86% polyester, 14% elastaneDryCELL moisture-wicking performanceUV resistant UPF
Features:4-way stretch for ease of movementSolid base with color-blocking under the armsThe Puma Cat logo on the left sleeve
Customize option with yacht name and sail number for a competitive crew team.
Comes in a broad selection of colors for every crew and is offered at a 20% discount for May.  Click here to order.

(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- As one of the first major sailing regattas on the Mediterranean, the Real Club Nautico de Palma’s very popular PalmaVela Regatta is always a huge draw for top sailing teams throughout Europe. It’s not hard to see why sailors love to go to a famous, glitzy, seaside resort in the crown jewel of Spain’s Balearis Islands offshore in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. After all, what’s wrong with amazing ambience, a historical city and seaport, and generally awesome sailing conditions in the Bay of Palma- 10 to 15 kts seabreezes, sunny, and a balmy 75 F degrees- perfect shorts and shades weather!
Enjoying a long weekend of sailing in this fantasy-land of a bucket list regatta were a range of J/Teams from across Europe in J/70s, J/80s, J/97, J/99, J/109, and J/122s. Most all of them garnered some silver in this year’s event.
ORC Sportboat DivisionWinning this fleet was Kristyn Gills’s KANGURU team from Australi, posting a nearly perfect score of 2-1-1-1 for 3 pts net! Not far behind was Cati Darder’s Spanish team from RCN Palma on the J/80 SAL with a 3-6-4-3 tally for 8 pts net. They were followed by Andrew Cheetham’s J/80 NOW 4 from the host club of RCN Palma with a 4-4-6-3 scoreline for 11 pts net.
ORC A2 DivisionIn this tough fleet, it was Guillermo Duran’s new J/99 KYO VI that took class honors with a 3-1-1 tally for 5 pts total.
ORC 4 DivisionAs they have for several years, Scott Beatties British team on the J/97E JUST THE JOB have again won their class honors with an enviable 1-2-1 record for 4 pts total.
For more RCN Palma’s PalmaVela Regatta sailing informationhttps://www.palmavela.com/

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The RORC Cervantes Trophy Race delivered a dramatic shift in conditions that tested skill and strategy from the very start, followed by raw pace for a spectacular finish. The fleet ghosted off the Royal Yacht Squadron line in barely a whisper of breeze, but any thoughts of a slow passage to Le Havre were soon blown away.
Mid-channel, the race ignited as a powerful north-easterly filled in, sending boats surging downwind at top speeds. As the 128.0nm race unfolded, the action intensified with the tightly packed RORC fleet locked in a fierce battle for IRC supremacy— dozens of boats, seconds apart, all chasing the coveted trophy and vital points for the world’s largest offshore racing series: the RORC Season’s Points Championship.
IRC 2 DivisionIn IRC Two, the silver medal went to CORAZON, a J/133 owned by Robin Herbert and skippered by his son Lawrence, with brother Will among a tight-knit crew of family and friends. The family continued the tradition of family crews garnering silver in RORC races like the famous father/daughter team on the French J/133 JIVARO.
Not to be outdone, Derek Shakespeare’s team on his championship-winning J/122 BULLDOG took fifth place, just 30 minutes behind the J/133.
IRC 4 DivisionIn IRC Four, Tim Tolcher’s J/99 RAGING BULL managed to place sixth, while fellow J/99 owner Mark Kendall finished eighth in the huge 27-boat class.
For more RORC Cervantes Trophy Race sailing informationhttps://www.rorc.org/2024-race-programme

(Rye, NY)- This past week, the American Yacht Club hosted its annual Spring Regatta from Friday to Sunday on Western Long Island Sound. Dozens of J/crews from around the region enjoyed racing in coastal PHRF and ORC fleets as well as one-design racing for J/44s, J/88s, and J/105s. Here is what took place for each division.
Coastal PHRF 1In this dozen-boat fleet, Len Sitar’s majestic J/160 COUGAR took on a fleet of full-blown offshore racing boats and ended up getting a “gentleman’s fourth” place for their efforts.
Coastal PHRF 3Leading a near-sweep of this fleet was Richard West’s J/120 CHARLOTTE. A close second was Ron Richman’s J/133 ANTIDOTE, followed by Albrecht Goethe’s gorgeous fire-engine-red J/46 HAMBURG II in fourth place.
Coastal PHRF 4Winning this class was Robert Schwartz’s J/109 NORDLYS, followed by Todd Aven’s J/99 THIN MAN in fifth place.
Coastal PHRF 5- White SailsNearly sweeping this fleet’s podium was a fleet of J/100s. Winning was the trio on BLUEFIN (Tom Boyle, Bob Clyatt, and Doug McKiege), followed in second place by William Hennes’s LIBERTY, and the trio on FREEDOM (Dre Fung, Barry Gold, and Pat Jakobson).
Coastal ORC 2Winning this fleet was Leo Vasiliev’s J/105 SLEEPER.
J/88 ClassThis was the proverbial match race between just two teams entered (all the other boats were in Annapolis for that regatta). Winning was Justin Scagnelli’s ALBONDIGAS over Diego Sacristan’s WILD THANG.
J/105 ClassWinning the 105s was David Willis’s SOLUTION, followed by Paul Beaudin’s LOU LOU in second place and Cristiano Ramponi-Serrao’s SHAKEN NOT STIRRED in third position.
J/44 ClassThe J/44s enjoyed good one-design racing using their class sails. In the end, a familiar family was at the top of the pack: Commodore Bill Ketcham’s MAXINE, with just 5 points next in five races! Second went to Willet Meyer’s BEAGLE, with 8 points net, while June and Amanda Kendrick’s PALANTIR 5 earned the bronze medal with 9 points net.
For more American YC Spring Regatta sailing informationhttps://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu/16312

(Seattle, WA)- The Sloop Tavern Yacht Club in Seattle, WA, will be hosting its popular season-opening offshore race- the Race to the Straits Regatta- for a fleet of 103 boats. The full course length is 30.25 nautical miles each day. Saturday’s race will be from Shilshole Bay to Point Hudson, keeping the Double Bluff Buoy to port. Then, Sunday’s race will be from Point Hudson to Shilshole Bay, keeping the Double Bluff Buoy to starboard. All boats are prohibited from using the Port Townsend Canal. The regatta has always been popular with J/crews over the years.
PHRF Singlehanded Division- J/Sweep!Comfortably winning this fleet was Dan Wierman’s J/35 GREAT WHITE! Then, just 25 minutes in arrears to take the silver medal was Rafe Beswick’s J/32 DRAGONFLY! A fantastic performance by these two single-handed veterans!
PHRF 7 Doublehanded DivisionThis fleet of all J/70s and J/80s was swept by J/80s: Gerry Gilbert’s AFTERBURNER won, followed by Ryan Porter’s JOLLY GREEN in second, and Peter Lisy’s JOUSTER in third place.
PHRF 10 Doublehanded- J/105 DivisionWinning the J/105 battle was a familiar team- John Aitchinson’s MOOSE UNKNOWN. It was not an easy win in this closely fought one-design competition, with Al Hughes’s CREATIVE taking the silver just 5 minutes behind, and Drew Zangle’s JADED only 1 min 20 secs further back to take the bronze medal!
PHRF 11 Doublehanded DivisionThis rough and tumble class of mostly 35-36 footers was won by Stephanie Arnold’s J/112E MYSTERY by a fourteen-minute margin. Fourth went to Kirk Fraser’s J/109 ECLIPSE, while Chad Stenwick’s J/35 THE BOSS placed fifth, and Dave Miller’s J/99 ONE LIFE took sixth place.
PHRF 12 Doublehanded DivisionWinning this extremely hard-fought fleet was Jay Renehan’s J/111 HOOLIGAN, winning the top prize by a mere 1 min 46 secs!
PHRF 13 Doublehanded DivisionTaking fourth place in this fleet of blue-water blue-platers was Astolfo Rueda’s J/122 QUERENCIA, just 12 min off the pace from winning their division!
For more Sloop Taven YC’s Race to the Straits sailing informationhttps://www.styc.org/Race-to-the-Straits

(Stellendam, Netherlands)- Stellendam Yacht Club hosted the Stellendam Regatta as the offshore sailing season opener for many classes in The Netherlands. For over fifteen years, this regatta has been sailed in April on the Haringvliet in front of the Marina Stellendam. It has also become the season-opening party. Here, the sailors from the ORC and the one-design classes met again after the winter season.
ORC 1 DivisionMany of the Netherlands’ top offshore teams were racing in this division. In the end, Rutger Kruger’s J/112E JACK RABBIT took the gold medal, winning six of eight races, counting just podium finishes in their 8 pts net scoreline! Their’s was a dominating performance! Not too far off the pace was Frans van Cappelle’s J/122E MOANA with 22 pts net to take the bronze medal!
ORC 2 DivisionThe large fourteen-boat fleet had four J/teams participating over the long weekend of sailing. Winning five of eight races to win by a “country furlong” was Jan Scholtes’s J/99 WARP 5 from the Netherlands. The other J/99, Richard Verkleij’s BOLD & GRACIOUS, took fifth place.
J/22 ClassThe eight-boat fleet had both German and Dutch entries for one of the best turnouts in years. After an intense eight races, it was a battle for the top five between the Dutch and German top teams. Winning was Jules Tronquet’s German crew on TINTIN (Laura Hauser, Tim Trollope, and Lulu Trendell) with 12 pts net; winning four of eight races and only counting podium finishes. Taking the silver medal was Sanne van Rijn’s SMURFENBAD TU DELFT crew from the Netherlands (Julia van den Heuvel, Ezra van der Ven, and Szej Rensman) with 14 pts net. Then, rounding out the podium for the bronze medal was the Dutch team of Dirk Jan Verdoorn’s JUT EN JUL (Anneloes Krikhaar, Rosemarjin Verdoorn, and Liselotte Verdoorn) with 19 pts net.
For more SAILWORKZ Stellendam Regatta sailing informationhttps://manage2sail.com/nl-NL/event/SR2025#!/

(Hong Kong, China)- The 2025 Nations’ Cup was the highlight of a spectacular day of international racing and national pride on Victoria Harbour. Held on May 4th by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, the 15th edition featured sixty-seven boats representing 19 countries, blending competitive sailing with dazzling costumes and crew camaraderie.
J/109 Whiskey Jack Win Secures England’s Fourth Nations’ Cup TitleLeading the charge was Nick Southward’s J/109 WHISKEY JACK, sailing under England’s banner. Their impressive performance in shifting wind conditions secured first place in the ATI division, marking England’s fourth Nations’ Cup title — the most of any nation. WHISKEY JACK’s win was a testament to the J/109’s proven design and offshore versatility.
Performance Boats, Nations, and Crews Light Up Victoria HarbourThe regatta attracted entries from across the globe, with the largest contingent from Hong Kong, China (38 boats). England followed with 7 boats, and Italy fielded 3. Other countries represented included Australia, France, Germany, the Philippines, Sweden, Ireland, Japan, and the United States.
The pursuit format featured six starting groups based on boat rating, with PHS divisions kicking off first. Light southerly winds early in the day prompted Race Officer Inge Strompf-Jepsen to adjust the start line to Hung Hom. This ensured competitors caught the best breeze possible, which later clocked in at 12 knots easterly, making for a fast, fun sail out past North Point and back.
Colorful Costumes and Crew Spirit Define the 2025 Nations’ CupWhile racing was the main event, crew costumes stole the show. Themed teams ranged from “Hong Kong Athletes” celebrating the new Kai Tak Sports Park to characters from Ne Zha 2 and Twilight of the Warriors. Belgium’s entry — fully costumed as “The Smurfs” — won the Best-Dressed Crew Award, decided by crowd applause during the prize ceremony.
Sailing photo credits- Guy Nowell/ SAILWorld.com
For more Royal Hong Kong YC Nations’ Cup sailing informationhttp://www.rhkyc.org.hk

(Annapolis, MD)- The first, and largest regatta of the summer on the Chesapeake Bay for the past few decades has been the Helly Hansen Regatta Annapolis. Hosted by the experienced veterans at Annapolis Yacht Club and their partners (Eastport Yacht Club and SSA), the fleet of 240+ boats was treated to exceptional, professional race management over the three days of the regatta, with some fleets experiencing a packed agenda of up to nine races! Remarkably, J/Boats accounted for over 75% of the fleet! Here’s how it all went down over the three days.
Day One- FridayWith four race circles hosting multiple classes, clear air didn’t come easily either, especially on the southernmost circle with the J/105s, J/80s, J/70s, and J/88s— more than 80 boats racing up and down the course.
Cate Muller-Terhune’s CASTING COUCH, last year’s overall winner of the J/70 class and the regatta, has proven in the past that they know how to manage the traffic and came away with two race wins and a second to set up a 4-point lead on Alec Culter’s team on HEDGEHOG.
John Bell’s team on HIWASSEE is sitting pretty with two race wins, but Andy Graff’s team EXILE, a perennial rival to the HIWASSEE crew, is only 5 points back (winning with a 2-1-1), but Andy Graff’s EXILE is only 5 points back.
Equally close in points are the J/105 leaders, with Ben DuPont’s WARBRIDE winning the last race to end day 2 points atop Bill Zartler’s DEJA VOODOO.
Over on the Division 2 course, Jeff Hayden’s team on the POLAR EXPRESS leads the J/22s, Dan Watson’s AVITA is top J/30, and Michael Baugh’s J/29 PERSEPHONE is tied with Glenn Smyth’s SHADOWFAX.
Day 2- SaturdayWinds were moderate from the south, the current was ebbing most of the day, and the sun was shining again—all in all a perfect day for the competitors that have been racking up races over the past two days.
James Sagerholm’s legendary J/35 AUNT JEAN executed a similar strategy from the start, promptly tacking after crossing the line and beelining to the right, which ultimately set them up for a second on the day and put them only a point behind Time Machine going into Sunday’s second distance race.
The J/24s got their series underway on Saturday. Pete Kassal’s SPACEMAN SPIFF won two of five races to finish the day with a 3-point lead over Pat Fitzgerald’s RUSH HOUR.
Out on the jam-packed Division 3 circle, with the J/88s, J/80s, J/70s, and J/105s— the intensity of the respective fleets certainly went up a notch in the moderate winds and busy race course. No one got away easy; every point was a battle, said Andy Graff on the J/88 EXILE. His team’s 1-2-1 scoreline came with its challenges.
“We had a good day—we were going pretty good, felt fast, and made some good calls— but it’s all pretty close and the next two boats are just barely behind us.”
Indeed, John Bell’s HIWASEE is only 3 points back, and Lindsay Duda’s SIN DUa won a race to keep themselves well within striking distance of the lead.
EXILE and the J/88s have the fortune of being the first start on the circle, which gives them an open course on the first beat, but a different strategy was required for the second. “The second beat is a bit harder to cross back through the middle,” Graff says, “so when we picked a side on the second beat, we really had to stick with it. Choices are more limited on the second.”
Cate Terhune Miller’s CASTING COUCH kept its consistency alive with three top-five finishes and now sits on a 4-point lead over Paul Green’s PROGRESS, which won two races to keep the series plenty tight. The two teams have built a comfortable margin over the rest of the fleet with the potential for two more races on Sunday ahead of an approaching cold front.
In the J/80s, Mike Beasley’s BLACK SHEEP found itself at the back of the fleet in the morning’s first race, posting an 18th before winning the next and finishing the day with a second in the last race. Only 5 points now separate BLACK SHEEP and Warren Flannery’s team on FESITY, which won the final race. Sarah Alexander’s MORE COWBELLS, however, is third overall, only 1 point in arrears, which should make for an exciting final day for the J/80 sailors.
Ben duPont’s WARBRIDE maintained its lead in the 22-boat J/105 fleet, but only by 4 points over Ray Wulff’s PATRIOT. Wulff’s squad won the day’s first race and followed that with a second in the next, but a 14th in the final kept them from snatching WARBRIDE’s lead. Like the J/80s, this series will no doubt come to the final race on Sunday.
Michael Baugh’s PERSEPHONE put three wins on the board and now leads the J/29 fleet by 9 points, and Jeff Hayden’s team on the J/22 POLAR EXPRESS has 4 points on Brad Julian’s YARD SAIL.
Day 3- Sunday“Race for every point” is a phrase heard often at regattas, and that was certainly the takeaway for many teams at the regatta. Three days packed with races allowed every sailor to make good on that cliché, especially the team on Andy Graff’s J/88 EXILE, which won in its fleet after a stressful two-race final day. Their class win, on a tiebreaker, earned them the regatta’s overall title and a berth at the Regatta Series championship in the BVI in October.
With a strong southerly on the final day, EXILE was sitting on a marginally comfortable lead over John Bell’s HIWASEE, and Graff intended to sail a clean race and stick to what had been working for them over the previous two days.
That plan quickly unraveled in the first race.
“It wasn’t how I planned on things going when I woke up this morning,” Graff says, “but we got out to the course and the breeze was like 17 knots. We expected more wind and made the poor decision to go to the small jib, and also got caught with the rig too tight and with chop the way it was today. That was a tough spot to be in when it dropped down to 8 knots. We just couldn’t get the wheels going through the chop.”
EXILE finished sixth in the 8-boat fleet, and HIWASEE won the race, putting them on top.
Then came HIWASEE’s drama. In the final start, Bell says, there was a miscommunication on the timing, and they found themselves OCS, clearing out to restart, and chasing down the rest of the fleet.
Battling back to earn point by point, at the beginning of the second beat, Bell realized their headstay had come off. They quickly attached a spare halyard to secure the rig and continued to sail the race. “We didn’t do so hot on that last race, but we needed to beat one boat to keep first place. When we got the one point we needed we we were pretty pumped.”
Pumped until they later learned that another boat had been OCS as well, but wasn’t scored as such. When that boat was later given an OCS, the scores shuffled once more, this time in favor of EXILE, which finished fourth in the final race and was ultimately declared the winner on the tiebreaker.
“It was hard,” says EXILE’s tactician Kris Werner. “I was admittedly pretty dark after the first race, because it felt like we just made a really poor decision with the jib. We finished that race and regrouped. The last one was tough, too. We had a pretty good start, we were kind of right in that top three for most of the race. We fought till the very end, we had almost a photo finish with [Iris Vogel’s] DEVIATION. That point was critical.”
J/80 ClassA similar fate awaited Mike Beasley’s team on the J/80 BLACK SHEEP, which went into the day with a comfortable lead in the 21-boat fleet. In the first race, they posted a 13th and then a ninth in the second race.
“In the first race, we got trapped off the start line and made it hard for ourselves,” Beasley says. “The right came in…we were protecting the left.”
In the final race, they were 1 point out of first behind Warren Flannery’s Canadian team on FEISTY. FEISTY won the final race, and BLACK SHEEP stumbled again with an OCS that had them last and fought their way back through the fleet to salvage every point they could.
As a result, FEISTY won with 44 pts, followed by JR Maxwell’s SCAMP with 50 pts. Just one point back to take the bronze medal was Sarah Alexander’s MORE COWBELLS with 51 pts. Beasley’s BLACK SHEEP got the short end of that exchange in the last race and well to fourth place with 53 pts. Rounding out the top five was Bengt & Marie’s BLAZE with 59 pts.
J/22 ClassJeff Hayden and his teammates on the J/22 POLAR EXPRESS battled with their regular rivals on Brad Julien’s YARD SAIL, with Hayden posting a 2-3 to Julien’s 4-1 in the final two races to claim the class title. The delta was only 4 points. Rounding out the podium in third was Jeff Todd’s perennial contender- HOT TODDY.
J/30 ClassDan Watson’s AVITA was the top J/30 by 11 points, with Watson’s team winning both races on Sunday. They had an unassailable lead over the next two teams on the podium- Valhalla Sailing’s SHAMROCK and Charles Lutz’s POGO, in second and third, respectively.
J/29 ClassMichael Baugh’s J/29 PERSEPHONE, which sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay to Annapolis from New Jersey to compete with the rejuvenated Chesapeake J/29 fleet, won seven of 10 races to easily win the class. Second went to Glenn Smyth’s SHADOWDFAX with 25 pts, just edging out third-place finisher Tom Lloyd’s ROSALITA with 27 pts.
J/70 ClassCate Muller-Terhune’s CASTING COUCH convincingly topped the J/70s, counting nearly all podium finishes for a total of 19 pts in 8 races! Taking the silver was Paul Green’s PROGRESS with 25 pts, while Alec Cutler’s HEDGEHOG team from Bermuda won the last two races to take the bronze medal with 30 pts.
J/105 ClassRay Wulf’s PATRIOT came on strong on the final day with 1-2 finishes to defend their title in the J/105 division. DuPont’s WARBRIDE slipped a bit on the last day with a 3-10 to take home the silver medal, while Bill Zartler’s talented Houston, TX crew on DEJA VOODOO won the last race to jump onto the podium for the bronze medal.
J/24 ClassOn the Division 4 race circle featuring J/24s, Pat Fitzgerald’s RUSH HOUR went 1-2 to upset the overnight leaders on Pete Kassel’s SPACEMAN SPIFF. Rounding out the podium for third place was Peter Rich’s BUXTON, just one point back.
ORC DivisionThe ORC Division enjoyed the breezier conditions and big chop. That favored Jim Sagerholm’s J/35 AUNT JEAN, which ultimately won the race and the ORC title. Kevin Sherwood’s J/99 BAY RETRIEVER took fourth place, while Zack Bayhan’s J/109 PATRIOT VIII was fifth, and Keith Cole’s J/124 LUCKY EIGHTS took sixth place.
For more Helly Hansen Annapolis Regatta sailing informationhttps://www.sailingworld.com/regatta-series-annapolis/

(San Diego, CA)- Day 2 of SDYC’s Yachting Cup started with a bit of rain and overcast coastal skies. The race management team was concerned about the forecast conditions – specifically the sea state, which built as a result of an overnight offshore front. A race committee boat went out about 7:30 am to check the conditions on both ocean courses; the decision was made to postpone racing by one hour and to move both courses to more protected areas closer to shore. Here is how the weekend broke down by classes/ divisions.
J/111 ClassPeter Wagner’s SKELETON KEY continued their hold on the top spot in the J/111 class after winning 3 of 5 races, taking top honors in the class for the second year in a row. SKELETON is also the current J/111 North American champion after their win in January in Key West. Several of the J/111s racing this weekend in San Diego (CREATIVE and GURLI) will be shifting gears into offshore mode to prepare to race to Hawaii this summer in the Transpac Race.
The balance of the podium was determined by a tiebreaker at 12 pts each. Winning that battle on countback was Marty Vogel’s MADMEN to take the silver medal. Meanwhile, John Staff’s OBSIDIAN team had to settle for the bronze medal step on the podium.
J/105 CLASSThe J/105 class also came down to the last leg of the last race. Bennet Greenwald & Dave Vieregg’s PERSEVERANCE held a 2-point lead going into the final race. However, last year’s overall winners, Chuck and Stephen Driscoll on JUICED, were not going down without a fight. “We knew we needed to put one boat between us and PERSEVERANCE going into the last race”, said Stephen Driscoll. We managed to get on the right side of a couple of shifts and pull off the win. It was a challenging weekend, and we are really happy with our teamwork.” Just one point in arrears to take the bronze medal was Mike Hatch’s J-ALMIGHTY.
J/24 ClassWhile the two ocean courses were postponed for an hour and moved to more favorable locations to avoid the bigger swells, the J/24s racing the bay went ahead as planned for 3 races starting at 1130. Course PRO Susi Graff gave the condition report for Sunday. “Today’s conditions at the city front were mixed with periods of squalls and light air. There is close racing among the J/24s, with TAKE FIVE and WHARF RAT duking it out, and others are not far behind.” The final bronze step on the podium went to Mark Thaidigsman’s CHALLENGER.
Christian Seidel and crew on WHARF RAT won the first two races on Sunday and went into the final race with a 2-point lead over last year’s class winner, Susan Taylor’s TAKE FIVE. WHARF RAT just needed to hang close to TAKE FIVE during the final race to win the class this year, and they did just that, finishing 45 seconds and one place behind them to give WHARF RAT the class win by one point. “Our job was just to stick with TAKE FIVE in the last race, which we were fortunate enough to execute.”
In addition to the narrow win in the J/24 class, Christian Seidel and WHARF RAT were selected as the Yachting Cup overall winner by the organizing committee to receive the Overall Yachting Cup perpetual trophy. “We’d like to thank San Diego Yacht Club and all the volunteers involved. We’d also like to thank all the competitors who came from as far away as Arizona to join us in this well-attended event. It is amazing to watch our J/24 fleet improve. Thanks for putting on an amazing event.”
ORC 1 DIVISIONIn this six-boat fleet, Mark Stratton’s J/122 CHEEKY took top honors, winning two races and hanging within less than a minute of the race leader in two more. CHEEKY led a clean sweep of the division. Taking the silver medal was John Laun’s J/120 CAPER, followed by Chuck Nichols’s CC RIDER in third place.
Competitors gave many thanks to the SDYC race committee and event chairs, Donica Ryder and Pete Whitby, for hosting a great weekend of racing.
San Diego Yacht Club would like to thank the Yachting Cup sponsors – Maui Brewing Company, Cutwater Spirits, Mount Gay Rum, Baila Tequila, South Coast Yachts, Helly Hansen, North Sails, First National Bullion, Sun Bum, and The Bay Club Hotel & Marina – who help made this signature event special.
Sailing photo credits- Colin Grey
For more San Diego Yacht Club Yachting Cup sailing informationhttp://www.yachtingcup.com/

As spring breezes build and regattas fire off around the globe, the J/Boats community has once again made its presence felt in spectacular fashion. From the foggy Pacific swells off San Diego to the gusty shores of Sweden and the shifting mountain winds of Switzerland, J/Teams have been racking up podium finishes, overall victories, and unforgettable moments. The past two weeks showcased everything from high-stakes international contests like the Nations’ Cup in Hong Kong to iconic American staples such as Annapolis’ Helly Hansen Regatta and the Race to the Straits in Seattle. Whether in offshore epics like the RORC Cervantes Trophy Race or short-course shootouts in the J/22 Sailing League, J/sailors met every challenge with tenacity, teamwork, and signature style. Here’s how the action unfolded across ten different regions and regattas—each one offering a new chapter in this ever-evolving season of speed.

New J/40 Goes for Shakedown Sail off Newport!
(Newport, RI)- This past week, the new J/40 #4 set sail off Newport on Naragansett Bay for her initial “shakedown” to test systems and check out rig-tuning and her new sails. A sistership #6 will be launching soon and will also be in Newport for most of the summer. Please contact your local J/Boats dealer or the J/Boats office for a demonstration sail soon! For more J/40 offshore performance cruiser sailboat information. Read more here.

The J/Cup Goes International- Cherbourg 2026!

(Cherbourg, France)- J/Cup Europe 2026 is happening in Cherbourg, France from June 19th to 20th, 2026!! All J/Sailors across Europe and the United Kingdom are invited!
Running in association with AXE Sail, this is your chance to join a buzzing fleet of J/Boats for a weekend of two unforgettable days of racing and socials in classic J/Cup style.
The J/99 European Cup is part of the event, so you can expect red-hot competition as well as serious fun back on shore.
Are you based in the United Kingdom? Join the Cherbourg delivery race- the perfect warm-up leg for your crew.
Questions? Please get in touch with Harry, call the office on +44 (0) 23 8045 5669, or email harry.tilling@keyyachting.com.

J/Teams Sweep PalmaVela! J/99, J/97E, J/70 Win Divisions.

(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- As one of the first major sailing regattas on the Mediterranean, the Real Club Nautico de Palma’s very popular PalmaVela Regatta is always a huge draw for top sailing teams throughout Europe. It’s not hard to see why sailors love to go to a famous, glitzy, seaside resort in the crown jewel of Spain’s Balearis Islands offshore in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. After all, what’s wrong with amazing ambience, a historical city and seaport, and generally awesome sailing conditions in the Bay of Palma- 10 to 15 kts seabreezes, sunny, and a balmy 75 F degrees- perfect shorts and shades weather!
Enjoying a long weekend of sailing in this fantasy-land of a bucket list regatta were a range of J/Teams from across Europe in J/70s, J/80s, J/97, J/99, J/109, and J/122s. Most all of them garnered some silver in this year’s event. Read more here.

J/24 WHARF RAT Crowned Overall Yachting Cup Winner!

(San Diego, CA)- Day 2 of SDYC’s Yachting Cup started with a bit of rain and overcast coastal skies. The race management team was concerned about the forecast conditions – specifically the sea state, which built as a result of an overnight offshore front. A race committee boat went out about 7:30 am to check the conditions on both ocean courses; the decision was made to postpone racing by one hour and to move both courses to more protected areas closer to shore. Here is how the weekend broke down by classes/ divisions.
J/111 ClassPeter Wagner’s SKELETON KEY continued their hold on the top spot in the J/111 class after winning 3 of 5 races, taking top honors in the class for the second year in a row. SKELETON is also the current J/111 North American champion after their win in January in Key West. Several of the J/111s racing this weekend in San Diego (CREATIVE and GURLI) will be shifting gears into offshore mode to prepare to race to Hawaii this summer in the Transpac Race. Read more here.

Fun-loving, Challenging Helly Hansen Regatta Annapolis
(Annapolis, MD)- The first, and largest regatta of the summer on the Chesapeake Bay for the past few decades has been the Helly Hansen Regatta Annapolis. Hosted by the experienced veterans at Annapolis Yacht Club and their partners (Eastport Yacht Club and SSA), the fleet of 240+ boats was treated to exceptional, professional race management over the three days of the regatta, with some fleets experiencing a packed agenda of up to nine races! Remarkably, J/Boats accounted for over 75% of the fleet! Here’s how it all went down over the three days.   Read more here.

J/109 WHISKEY JACK Wins Nation’s Cup
(Hong Kong, China)- The 2025 Nations’ Cup was the highlight of a spectacular day of international racing and national pride on Victoria Harbour. Held on May 4th by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, the 15th edition featured sixty-seven boats representing 19 countries, blending competitive sailing with dazzling costumes and crew camaraderie.
J/109 Whiskey Jack Win Secures England’s Fourth Nations’ Cup TitleLeading the charge was Nick Southward’s J/109 WHISKEY JACK, sailing under England’s banner. Their impressive performance in shifting wind conditions secured first place in the ATI division, marking England’s fourth Nations’ Cup title — the most of any nation. WHISKEY JACK’s win was a testament to the J/109’s proven design and offshore versatility. Read more here.

Royal Gothenburg YC Triumphs @ Swedish J/70 Sailing League Act I

(Saltsjöbaden, Sweden)- The first Allsvenskan Sailing competition of the 2025 season was hosted in Saltsjöbaden at the Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS) from May 3-4.
The first round of the Allsvenskan was held off Marstrand under varying conditions, and there were also varying crews at the top over the two days. In the end, Göteborgs Kungliga Segelsällskap (Royal Gothenburg Sailing Club) emerged as the winner, closely ahead of the home club, Kungliga Svenska Segelsällskapet.
The first day offered brilliant sunshine and moderate winds. GKSS did best on the day, closely followed by KSSS. But Strängnäs Sailing Club and Umeå Sailing Club also did surprisingly well and were constantly in the running to challenge for the top positions. Read more here.

J/Teams Sweep ORC Divisions @ SAILWORKZ Stellendam Regatta 

(Stellendam, Netherlands)- Stellendam Yacht Club hosted the Stellendam Regatta as the offshore sailing season opener for many classes in The Netherlands. 
For over fifteen years, this regatta has been sailed in April on the Haringvliet in front of the Marina Stellendam. It has also become the season-opening party. Here, the sailors from the ORC and the one-design classes met again after the winter season.
 Read more here.

San Francisco YC Tops J/22 Sailing League Regatta

(San Francisco, CA)- This past weekend, St. Francis Yacht Club hosted its J/22 Sailing League Regatta for seven sailing club teams from across California. The winner got an automatic invitation to participate in the 2025 SAILING Champions League event in Kiel, Germany, that will be sailed on J/70s!
The SAILING Champions League is an international high-level club vs. club fleet racing circuit that’s been held in Europe since 2014. Currently, over 500 sailing clubs compete in the series, which is focused on spectator-friendly events. An effort to expand the league to the United States has been spearheaded by St. Francis Yacht Club, which invited seven clubs for two days of competition in J/22s. Read more here.

J/Teams Silver Multi-divisions @ Race to the Straits Regatta 

(Seattle, WA)- The Sloop Tavern Yacht Club in Seattle, WA, hosted its popular season-opening offshore race- the Race to the Straits Regatta- for a fleet of 103 boats. The full course length is 30.25 nautical miles each day. Saturday’s race was from Shilshole Bay to Point Hudson, keeping the Double Bluff Buoy to port. Then, Sunday’s race was from Point Hudson to Shilshole Bay, keeping the Double Bluff Buoy to starboard. All boats are prohibited from using the Port Townsend Canal. The regatta has always been popular with J/crews over the years.  Read more here.

Excellent Sailing @ American YC Spring Regatta

(Rye, NY)- This past week, the American Yacht Club hosted its annual Spring Regatta from Friday to Sunday on Western Long Island Sound. Dozens of J/crews from around the region enjoyed racing in coastal PHRF and ORC fleets as well as one-design racing for J/44s, J/88s, and J/105s. Here is what took place for each division. Read more here.

Club Nautique de Versoix Leads Swiss J/70 Sailing Super League- Act 1

(Morges, Switzerland)This past weekend, the Swiss J/70 Sailing League began its summer-long series of events on various mountain lakes in the gorgeous, story-book Swiss Alps. Eighteen teams participated in the sailing league format of quick 15-20-minute races in the challenging, often very shifty and puffy mountain lake sailing conditions off Morges, Switzerland.
In an abbreviated regatta that saw just one day of racing, the Club Nautique de Versoix asserted their preeminence as they did last season by winning the first event. Their team consisted of Victor Casas as skipper with a crew of Romain Defferrard, Romuald Hausser, and Benjamin Delaloye. Read more here.

J/Teams Silver in Ghosting to Gusty RORC Cervantes Trophy Race

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The RORC Cervantes Trophy Race delivered a dramatic shift in conditions that tested skill and strategy from the very start, followed by raw pace for a spectacular finish. The fleet ghosted off the Royal Yacht Squadron line in barely a whisper of breeze, but any thoughts of a slow passage to Le Havre were soon blown away.
Mid-channel, the race ignited as a powerful north-easterly filled in, sending boats surging downwind at top speeds. As the 128.0nm race unfolded, the action intensified with the tightly packed RORC fleet locked in a fierce battle for IRC supremacy— dozens of boats, seconds apart, all chasing the coveted trophy and vital points for the world’s largest offshore racing series: the RORC Season’s Points Championship Read more here.

J/Puma Zip-Top: May 20% off J/Gear Special
(Newport, RI)- Puma has long been synonymous with outdoor performance gear. The J/Puma Performance Zip Top is a contrasting moisture-managing top and is built to handle robust conditions. Distinctive 2-tone design with your J/Class logo embroidered on the front. Choose from a selection of colors.
Material:86% polyester, 14% elastaneDryCELL moisture-wicking performanceUV resistant UPF
Features:4-way stretch for ease of movementSolid base with color-blocking under the armsThe Puma Cat logo on the left sleeve
Customize option with yacht name and sail number for a competitive crew team.
Comes in a broad selection of colors for every crew and is offered at a 20% discount for May.  Click here to order.