J/Newsletter- August 13th, 2025
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The first week of August has been buzzing with action across every corner of the sailing world, and our J/crews have been right in the thick of it. From the legendary waters of Cowes Week to the blustery challenges of San Francisco Bay, from the Midwest’s Verve Cup to the sun-splashed fun of Newport and SoCal, it’s been a week packed with trophies, new stories, and plenty of dockside laughter. Cowes Week delivered its usual mix of tough Solent currents and unforgettable shoreside festivities.  Youth sailors showed their mettle at the Sears Cup in San Francisco. And, Lake Michigan put on a perfect show for the Verve Cup Offshore. Newport turned on its trademark sou’wester for Safe Harbor Race Weekend, while out West, the J/105 fleet filled San Francisco Bay with spray at the Summer Keelboat Regatta. And that’s not even mentioning the fun and inspiration of the WOW/WAH Women’s Regatta in Marina del Rey. We’re also sharing a special story this month: the first all-women J/42 crew to take on — and finish — the iconic Annapolis-Newport Race. It’s a milestone worth celebrating, and a reminder that our sport continues to grow, evolve, and welcome new voices at the helm. Join us as we look back on a week of racing, camaraderie, and plenty of silverware. |
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J/Crews Loved Awesome Cowes Week 2025(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- For the first week of August, the Cowes Combined Clubs hosted their annual highlight of the summer sailing season on the Solent- the famous Cowes Race Week off Cowes, Isle of Wight. Yet again, hundreds of boats and thousands of sailors graced the quaint seaside town with raucous parties and challenging sailing on the capricious waters of the famously fast-flowing Solent Water.Â
Again, dozens of J/Teams were sailing for a full seven days on the water and garnered plenty of silverware! Cowes Week 2025 delivered everything sailors could have hoped for: competitive racing, changing conditions, and the kind of dockside entertainment that makes the week so memorable. Here’s the roundup for the J/Boat fleet.  Read more here. |
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San Francisco YC Crowned J/22 US Youth Sears Cup Champions(San Francisco, CA)- This past weekend, the St Francis Yacht Club hosted the 2025 Chubb U.S. Youth Triplehanded Championship for the coveted Sears Cup Perpetual Trophy. Twenty teams from across the USA sailed the StFYC’s fleet of matched one-design class J/22 sailboats using the sailing league style format of rotation. Each team was able to sail eleven races.  Read more here. |
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Hot Racing Action @ Verve Cup Offshore(Chicago, IL)- The Chicago Yacht Club recently hosted the first of its perennial late summer regattas, the Verve Cup Offshore. Blessed with great weather most of the weekend, the two one-design classes of J/88s and J/105s enjoyed three great days of racing on Lake Michigan off the spectacular Chicago lakefront. Read more here. |
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Fun, Frolic, & Silver for J’s Sailing Safe Harbor Race Weekend Â(Newport, RI)- What began as a three-day weekend of tempered wind expectations evolved into a full-blown demonstration of skill, strategy, and spirited Newport sailing camaraderie during the fifth annual Safe Harbor Race Weekend held Friday, August 8, through Sunday, August 10. Despite early forecasts calling for barely-there breezes, Newport’s signature afternoon southwesterly arrived just in time each day to transform the racecourse into a dynamic proving ground for a record-breaking fleet of 72 teams in 10 classes. Read more here. |
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BLACKHAWK Tops J/105 Summer Keelboat Regatta(Belvedere, CA)- The San Francisco Bay J/105 Fleet showed up en masse for the San Francisco Yacht Club summertime classic- the Summer Keelboat Regatta. Twenty-one teams enjoyed two days of great racing in typical blustery Bay weather, with a total of five races completed. Starting with a bullet in their first race, long-time class veteran Ryan Simmons and his BLACKHAWK team put an affirmative stamp on where they wanted to be for the rest of the regatta. Read more here. |
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Women J/Teams Silver @ WOW Regatta SoCal  Â(Marina del Rey, CA)- The 2025 edition of California Yacht Club’s Women on Water Regatta was enjoyed by a great turnout of two dozen women’s sailing teams. Sailing in southern California in sunny weather and gentle seabreezes is hard to beat in the summertime. The women sailors were looking forward to some more fun racing around the cans. The WOW/WAH regatta has two divisions: Women on Water (WOW) — composed of all female teams, and Women at the Helm (WAH) — composed of co-ed teams with a female driver. Both divisions race the same weekend in one regatta. The WOW/WAH is about promoting, empowering, and celebrating women sailors. The only regatta of its kind in Marina del Rey, it’s a great opportunity to sharpen racing skills by taking the helm, leading a crew, or trying a new position. When it’s all said and done, this regatta is a celebration of women sailors and their love of this sport. The spirit and camaraderie felt during this event are what make it so special. Several J/Teams enjoyed the fun-in-the-sun in this year’s event. Read more here. |
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Ida Lewis Distance Race Preview(Newport, RI)- Thirty-six teams have officially signed up for the highly anticipated 2025 Ida Lewis Distance Race, scheduled for its 20th edition August 14-15. Showcasing one of the most diverse fleets in recent years, the roster includes 10 ORC, seven doublehanded, and 19 PHRF boats, with a strong showing from youth and collegiate sailors for respective challenge trophies in each division. Unlike traditional round-the-buoy regattas, this event stands out by challenging sailors with an overnight coastal distance course, offering a unique test of strategy, seamanship, and endurance. Read more here. |
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The All-Women J/42 ALLEGIANT Story- First All-Women Crew Finishes Annapolis-Newport Race!(Annapolis, MD)- This is a story by Joe Cooper from WINDCHECK Magazine and the “Ladies Alliance”. “I learned about the good yacht ALLEGIANT, a J/42 owned and skippered by Maryline Bossar, from a press release sent to me,” said Cooper. Well, ownership includes her husband, but since he wasn’t aboard for this race, we’re giving him a pass. Their finish time was 4 days, 17 hours, 52 seconds. OK, not hair-on-fire for a roughly 475-mile race, 40% of which is negotiating the patchy wind and sketchy currents of Chesapeake Bay, which in this case included some time anchored at the mouth. ALLEGIANT finished ninth in the PHRF class and 44th out of 71 entries. Maybe not Sailor(s) of the Year award stuff, but not too shabby. Think about how many guys they beat. Turns out 15% of the sailors in the fleet were women. This is a stat roughly equal to the percentage of female sailors in the 2020 Vendee Globe. I spoke with three of the girls via Zoom video conference call. Read more here. |
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J/Gear- August 20% off SpecialThe J Diamond Polo is a mild departure from the solid colors. This fun diamond pattern is featured on a quality shirt by Adidas. Soft uniform collar and available with your J Class logo. Specify your option imprints and location. Features: Get your J/Gear 20% off special here- ORDER your special discount items here. |