J/Newsletter- April 30th, 2026

J/40 performance cruiser sailing offshore

As spring turns toward summer, the international sailing calendar is starting to fire on all cylinders, with J/Teams showing up in force across one-design, handicap, coastal, and offshore events on both sides of the Atlantic. From the Pacific Coast’s classic races to the Solent’s early-season proving grounds, and from Long Island Sound to the Chesapeake Bay, the J/sailing community is shifting from tune-up mode into full championship form.

On the West Coast, the 78th Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race once again delivered far more than a simple downwind dash to Mexico. With shifting coastal breezes, land-heating effects, and tactical transitions all playing a role, the iconic 125nm sprint rewarded teams that could manage speed, patience, and positioning. J/Teams made up a remarkable 20 percent of the fleet and collected plenty of silverware along the way. Meanwhile, farther north in Ventura, J/Fest West and the J/24 Westerns brought together strong J/70 and J/24 fleets for an awesome weekend of racing, serving as an ideal warm-up for the summer’s major one-design championships.

Across the Atlantic, the Solent continued to be a centerpiece of early-season action. The UK J/70 Grand Slam Series opened in style off Hamble, where twenty-five teams enjoyed two glorious days of racing in steady southeasterlies and a constantly shifting leaderboard. At the same time, J/Boats were making their presence felt in the Warsash Spring Championship, dominating the IRC divisions and setting the tone for the coming summer of Solent and RORC competition. Next up, the RORC Cervantes Trophy Race will launch the offshore season in classic fashion, sending a massive fleet from Cowes across the English Channel to Le Havre.

Looking ahead, the calendar only gets busier. PalmaVela in Mallorca will bring together a broad spectrum of ORC competitors on the Bay of Palma, including several veteran J/Teams. In the United States, the American Yacht Club Spring Regatta will mark the traditional opening act for Long Island Sound, with J/Boats representing nearly 60 percent of the fleet. On the Chesapeake, the Helly Hansen Annapolis Regatta will showcase an extraordinary eight J/one-design classes, while San Diego’s Yachting Cup will feature J/111s, J/105s, J/24s, and PHRF teams in one of Southern California’s signature spring events. Finally, in the Pacific Northwest, the Race to the Straits will once again bring its fun-loving doublehanded format to Puget Sound, with J/crews taking on the Seattle-to-Port Townsend-and-back challenge.

From California to Cowes, Palma to Annapolis, and Seattle to the Sound, the message is clear: the season is fully underway, the fleets are deep, and J/Teams are already collecting hardware while sharpening up for a packed summer of racing. Here is how it is all unfolding across the J/sailing world.

J/111 sailing offshore on the Pacific Ocean.

J/Teams Win Big at 2026 Newport to Ensenada Race
(Newport Beach, CA)- The 78th Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race will take place on Friday, April 24th, 2026. With more than 800 competitors and 76 yachts registered, this iconic event is considered to be one of the largest and most challenging sailing races on the West Coast. While many consider it to be a simple “sprint” down the coastline to a Mexican border town, it’s anything but that when you consider how the super-hot heating of the land affects the offshore winds!

Competitors are divided into 5 classes based on boat performance and competition class. Seventy-six yachts are in the PHRF divisions; fifteen of them are J/Teams (20.0% of the fleet)!

“The City of Newport Beach is excited to welcome the over 800 competitors racing in over 75 yachts in the 78th Annual Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race,” said Newport Beach Mayor Joe Stapleton. “This race continues to be one of the largest sailing events on the West Coast, and it features many of the extremely competitive yachts tuning up to race to Hawaii. READ MORE HERE

JELVIS Wins Glorious UK J/70 Grand Slam Series Opener!

(Hamble, England)- It was truly a glorious start to the UK J/70 sailing season on the Solent, which delivered two standout days of racing in steady southeasterlies. Twenty-five teams lined up for the first J/70 Grand Slam event, hosted by the Royal Thames Yacht Club, with tight racing and a constantly shifting leader board. Here’s how it all went down over the two days.

Day One
JEEPSTER picked up where they left off at the end of last season. The team, comprising of Max Clapp, Horatio Sykes, Miles Jones and Mathieu Cadei, won the day, with consistency paying off, despite two bullets from JIRAFFE.

Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE made an early statement, owning the pin in races one and two. They had control of the fleet and extended up the left-hand side, where there was a small tidal gain throughout the weekend. With a left-favored course and some pin bias, it was high density chaos at the pin. JEEPSTER profited by starting a few boats up from the pin, rolling teams who got caught up in the fight, but still benefiting from the bias.

Always in the mix, they rounded off the day with a win in the final race, combining strong starts, pace and slick handling around the track. READ MORE HERE

J/111 JAGERBOMB sailing on Solent, England

J/Boats Dominate IRC Fleet at 2026 Warsash Spring Championship

(Warsash, England)- The Warsash Sailing Club completed its 2026 Spring Championship for IRC Classes this past weekend. It’s a popular event for J/sailors that use the regatta as a tune-up for the major summertime events on the Solent and for the RORC Offshore events that run all summer. In the end, a number of J/Teams faired very well in IRC 1 and 2 Divisions, boding well for their summertime campaigns.

IRC 1 Division- J/111 Domination
There was a significant change in the standings after the first weekend; all four J/111s ended up occupying the top five slots. Chris Jones & Louise Makin’s JOURNEYMAKER 11 held onto their second place after the first weekend and took home the silver medal with a 39 pts net score. Jumping onto the podium to take the bronze medal was Paul Griffiths’s JAGERBOMB with 44 pts net. Then, Cornel Riklin’s JITTERBUG finished fourth with 50.5 pts net and Elle Wollmann’s FREQUENT FLYER took fifth place with 59 pts net. READ MORE HERE

J/Fest West & J/24 Westerns Deliver Great Racing in Ventura
(Ventura, CA)- Last weekend, the Ventura Yacht Club held the 2026 edition of the J/Fest West and the J/24 Westerns off Ventura, CA. A competitive fleet of fifteen J/70S and seven J/24S participated in the regatta. For most of the J/70s, it was a good warm-up for the upcoming J/70 USA Nationals in July being sailed in Santa Barbara, CA.

J/70 Class
This fifteen-boat fleet saw Ryan Cox’s DJ team of Mike Uznis, Stanton Smith, and RD Burley win five of the seven races to handily win the regatta with just 7 pts net. Taking second was Jeff Janov’s USA 538 with five seconds in his scoreline for 11 pts net. Rounding out the podium to take the bronze medal was Scott Deardorff’s CAKE with 17 pts net. READ MORE HERE

J/Teams Ready for 2026 PalmaVela Regatta in Mallorca
(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- Organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma, the first edition of PalmaVela kicked off in 2004. Conceived originally as a Maxi regatta, its debut was highly anticipated, particularly as it marked the return of Maxi yachts to the Bay of Palma after a seven-year absence. That inaugural edition laid the groundwork for a regatta characterized by its commitment to inclusivity, growth, and showcasing the broad spectrum of possibilities that sailing offers— bringing together the diverse ways in which this sport is experienced and embraced. It is an objective that, twelve years later, remains the driving force behind PalmaVela. Over time, the event has even included J/80 one-design classes.

Participating across the spectrum of the ORC handicap classes are a number of PalmaVela Regatta veterans racing their J/Boats. READ MORE HERE.

J/Teams Lead Fleet for 2026 American YC Spring Regatta
(Rye, NY)- The American Yacht Club Spring Regatta, taking place from May 1-3, 2026, has been the classic annual rite of passage for sailors on Long Island Sound to kick off the summer sailing season. Sailed for decades on the western end of the Sound, it has always attracted a large contingent of J/sailors from J/24s in the days of old up to J/160s. The wide range of divisions and course formats attracts a selection of J/crews looking forward to their first spring shakedown and training mission. The popular three-day format includes the Friday AYC Coastal Race (separately scored with trophies) and the weekend AYC Spring Series- two days of windward-leewards and random leg buoy racing. J/Boats are featured as the predominant brand for the regatta; of the 38 entries to date, 22 are J/Teams- about 58.0% of the fleet. READ MORE HERE.

J/145 sailing Yachting Cup off San Diego, CA

2026 Yachting Cup Preview: J/Teams Head to San Diego
(San Diego, CA)- From May 1-3, 2026, over 50 boats in several classes are expected to descend upon the waters of San Diego Bay and Coronado Roads to compete in the 2026 Yachting Cup. The Yachting Cup is one of the most highly anticipated regattas of the year featuring fun, challenging race courses designed with each class in mind, as well as a variety of socials each day. This year’s event features one-design classes for J/111s, J/105s, and J/24s, plus a PHRF Division.

San Diego YC’s Commodore Alli Bell states, “The 2026 Yachting Cup represents the continuation of one of the longest running and most prestigious events at San Diego Yacht Club. We are looking forward to welcoming sailors from around Southern California and beyond for good competition and fun on and off the water.”. READ MORE HERE.

J/70s sailing one-design regatta offshore

Helly Hansen Annapolis Regatta 2026 Preview: J/Boats Fleets Shine
(Annapolis, MD)- The Helly Hansen Regatta 2026 returns to Annapolis, May 2-4, 2026 with more than 160 teams expected to race in boats ranging from 20 to 40 feet. Hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club, the annual spring regatta is considered the premiere local sailing event of the year on the Chesapeake Bay. The regatta also serves as the unofficial kickoff for the robust and thriving Annapolis summer sailing scene.

This year’s event will be heavily attended by J/Boats aficionados, with EIGHT one-design classes for J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/88s, J/29s, J/30s, and J/105s! Plus, a few J/Boats are sailing in PHRF Spinnaker division. READ MORE HERE.

J/122 BULLDOG sailing RORC race offshore

RORC Cervantes Trophy Race 2026 Preview: J/Teams Set for Le Havre
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The Royal Ocean Racing Club will be hosting the first of its summer-long series of offshore sailing for hundreds of enthusiastic sailors from across the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and others from around the world. The RORC Offshore Season Point Series is the most popular circuit of offshore races worldwide.

Starting off the classic Royal Yacht Squadron starting line off Cowes, the teams will race down the Solent from Cowes to Le Havre, France on a 110.0nm race track that crosses the infamous “La Manche”, the English Channel. Over 100 boats are participating along with a formidable contingent of J/Teams. READ MORE HERE.

J/109 sailing offshore on Seattle’s Puget Sound

Race to the Straits 2026 Preview: J/Crews Head for Port Townsend
(Seattle, WA)- Every year, the remarkably laid back, fun-loving sailors that call the Sloop Tavern YC home in Ballard, WA hold their annual Race To The Straits Regatta. The format is simple, essentially a double-handed race from Seattle to Port Townsend and back. 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. This is also the first race in the “Triple Sound Series”. The regatta has always been popular with J/crews over the years. Here’s the list of leading teams competing over the weekend. READ MORE HERE.

J/Gear May Special- 20% off!

The J Sail Plan Polo comes with the J Class logo on the front and corresponding sail plan on the back. This long sleeve polo is a nice crew shirt for competition or relaxing. Durable and comfortable.

Specifications:
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– Moisture-wicking performance
– UPF 39 protection
– Luxury, comfort and performance in one
– Active fit
– Matching flat-knit collar
– Three-button placket with dyed-to-match buttons
– Side vents

Order your J/Sail plan polo here – CLICK HERE

J/Newsletter- April 30th, 2026

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