J/Newsletter- June 11th, 2026

By mid-June, the sailing season has fully opened its doors across the J/Boats world. The early spring warm-ups are behind us, the championship calendars are filling quickly, and fleets are now moving from local openers into the heart of summer racing. From Lake Michigan and Long Island Sound to Puget Sound, Lake Ontario, San Francisco Bay, the Solent, Brittany, Hamburg’s Alster Lake, Narragansett Bay, and Martha’s Vineyard, J/Teams are finding every kind of racecourse imaginable— tight one-design windward-leewards, breezy pursuit races, offshore handicap contests, women’s match racing, sailing league sprints, classic distance races, and personal club-level adventures that remind us why people fall in love with sailing in the first place.

In Chicago, the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta opened the Lake Michigan summer with more than 100 keelboat teams and strong J/70, J/88, J/105, and offshore J/Team participation. On Long Island Sound, Pequot Yacht Club hosted a breezy and tactical J/109 Invitational, giving eight teams a valuable tune-up ahead of the J/109 North American Championship on Buzzards Bay later this summer. Out west, Seattle’s Sloop Tavern Yacht Club delivered another memorable Three Buoy Fiasco, where J/Teams had the freedom to choose their direction around the marks and embrace the event’s trademark blend of strategy, breeze, humor, and Puget Sound character.

The one-design and league-racing scene was equally active. In Denmark, the second act of the Danish J/70 Sailing League in Helsingor had an impressive thirty-three races run over two days. On the Solent, the J/70 UK Grand Slam Series had a weather-disrupted weekend hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron, where Sunday’s racing became the deciding moment for the twenty-two-boat fleet. In Annapolis, Eastport Yacht Club hosted the J/22 Santa Maria Cup title, the second stage of the 2026 Women’s World Match Racing Tour.

Women’s sailing remains a major story this week as well. In Hamburg, the Helga Cup returns to the Alster for its ninth edition, bringing nearly eighty crews from eleven nations and more than 350 women sailors together for the world’s largest women’s sailing regatta. Sailed in J/70s and co-hosted by Norddeutscher Regatta-Verein and Hamburger Segel-Club, the event continues to stand out not only for its racing, but also for its message: give women sailors the boats, the platform, the visibility, and the community, and the result is one of the most dynamic regattas in the sport.

Offshore and distance racing continue to build momentum on both sides of the Atlantic. On Lake Ontario, J/122 and J/120 teams collected silverware in the Susan Hood Trophy Race, one of the early long-distance tests of the Great Lakes season. In California, the Delta Ditch Run is preparing to send a fleet of eighty-eight boats— including six J/Teams— on its famously wild 65.0nm downwind ride from Point Richmond to Stockton through rivers, channels, islands, sand bars, and endless tactical turns. In Cowes, a strong J/Boats contingent is preparing for the RORC Morgan Cup Race, the next major test in the RORC Season’s Points Championship and Cowes Offshore Series, while in France the La Duo Cat Amania will bring a deep doublehanded fleet together for six stages, fierce competition, and the legendary camaraderie of Brittany’s offshore racing community.

Looking ahead, the calendar only gets richer. Newport’s New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta will again mark the traditional start of the summer season on Narragansett Bay, with J/Teams ready for the Round Island Race and two more days of racing off the City by the Sea. In Cherbourg, J/Cup Europe will gather J/Boats teams from across the continent, with the J/99 European Cup folded into a full program of close racing and shoreside hospitality. Farther ahead, Edgartown Yacht Club’s ’Round-the-Island Race returns to its traditional July date, promising stronger summer breeze and a more decisive 52.0nm test around Martha’s Vineyard.

And, amid all the major regattas and championship previews, there is also the story of Pam and her J/27 on Smith Mountain Lake— a reminder that the J/Sailing world is not only about trophies, fleets, and famous venues. It is also about someone choosing a boat because it speaks to them, learning to sail and race at the same time, showing up week after week, and finding joy on a local lake against whatever competition happens to be there.

That mix is what makes this part of the season so much fun. The calendar is crowded, the stories are varied, and J/Teams are active everywhere— chasing podiums, building fleets, preparing for championships, supporting women’s sailing, taking on offshore adventures, and simply enjoying the boats and communities that keep the sport moving forward.

J/70, J/88, J/105 and Offshore J/Teams Shine at Helly Hansen Chicago Regatta
(Chicago, IL)- The 2026 Helly Hansen Sailing World Chicago Regatta was hosted by Chicago Yacht Club last weekend for 100+ keelboat teams competing in various one-design and offshore handicap racing fleets. It was an action-packed start for the summer of sailboat racing on Lake Michigan. The regatta included one-design classes for J/70s, J/88s, and J/105s. Plus, there was an enthusiastic group of J/Teams sailing in the offshore ORC/PHRF handicap divisions. READ MORE HERE

J/Teams Shine at Sloop Tavern YC Three Buoy Fiasco Race in Seattle

(Seattle, WA)- The Sloop Tavern Yacht Club in Seattle, WA, hosted its annual Three Buoy Fiasco this past weekend for the forty-three-boat fleet of enthusiastic sailors. The prescribed course of NWZMN marks was exactly 11.943 nm long. Each boat had their choice of whether to sail around that set of buoys either clockwise or counter-clockwise!

The race attracted quite an eclectic fleet of J/teams, with most of them finishing the race, although a few took either RET or DNC’s! In fact, just over one-third of the total fleet posted RET/DNCs. It was a fast breezy race for many, with J/105s getting around the track in just over 2 hours- about 5.97 kts average! Here’s how it all went down in this year’s “fiasco”! READ MORE HERE

J/122 HOOLIGAN and J/120 FREESTYLE Lead J/Boats Sweep in Susan Hood Trophy Race
(Port Credit, ONT, Canada)- The Susan Hood Trophy Race, co-hosted by Oakville Yacht Squadron and the Port Credit Yacht Club, had a number of J/Boats teams enjoy the race and the unique challenges it presented.

ORC Division
Notably, the ORC Division saw a J/Boats sweep of the podium. Winning was Bruce Pierce’s J/122 HOOLIGAN with an elapsed time of 10:49:21.  Taking the silver medal was Jim Oldershaw’s J/120 FREESTYLE less than an hour behind on elapsed time.  READ MORE HERE

Sonderborg Sejlklub Wins Danish J/70 Sailing League Act in Helsingor
(Helsingor, Denmark)- Last weekend, the Helsingør Sejlklub hosted twenty-one sailing club teams from across Denmark for the second act of their season series. Sailing took place off Helsingor, with the HSK RC/ PRO team running a mind-blowing thirty-three races over the two-day weekend! Each team got to complete the full eleven races for the full rotation of all the teams! In the end, it appears there has been a “changing of the guard” this 2026 sailing season.  READ MORE HERE.

JELVIS Wins J/70 UK Grand Slam Act III at Royal Yacht Squadron
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The third event of the J/70 UK Grand Slam Series again took place on the Solent, with the famous Royal Yacht Squadron (a.k.a. “the Castle”), hosted the regatta off its Cowes waterfront facilities. The regatta saw Mother Nature throw the Royal Yacht Squadron RC/PRO team a massive curveball when the Friday forecasts indicated 25-35 kts winds and near gale-force conditions on Saturday. Sure enough, Saturday morning dawned with a white-caps whipping up a froth on the Solent in current against wind conditions. Racing was canceled before most teams had breakfast! As a result, Sunday’s racing was going to be for “all the chocolates” for the twenty-two-boat fleet. READ MORE HERE.

Team BAAM Defends J/22 Santa Maria Cup Title in Annapolis

(Annapolis, MD)- USA’s Team BAAM, skippered by Allie Blecher, successfully defended their Santa Maria Cup title on June 3-6 in Annapolis, MD. Blecher defeated Sweden’s Anna Östling and the WINGS SAILING Team 3-1 in a dramatic final to win the second stage of the 2026 Women’s World Match Racing Tour.

Ten teams raced J/22s in a double round-robin format which advanced the top four to vie for the title. Blecher, sailing with crew Beka Schiff, Katja Sertl, and Ali Blumenthal Stokes, won the qualifying stage.

Claiming third place overall was the Netherlands’ Julia Aartsen and TEAM OUT OF THE BOX, who defeated Sweden’s Martina Carlsson and the BEYOND RACING Team 2-0 in the Petit Final to complete a highly successful Santa Maria Cup debut.

The final day of racing began with the completion of the semi-final stage. Blecher entered the morning holding a commanding 2-0 lead over Sweden’s Martina Carlsson and wasted little time securing her place in the final, winning the next race to complete a convincing 3-0 win over Carlsson. READ MORE HERE.

J/Crews Ready for Crazy 2026 Delta Ditch Run to Stockton

(Stockton, CA)- The 35th annual Point Richmond to Stockton Race, known infamously as the “Delta Ditch Run”, is taking place this coming weekend on San Francisco Bay. The annual classic starts off Richmond Yacht Club in the upper San Francisco Bay and finishes in Stockton, CA, 65.0 nm east up the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, and to the finish line at the Stockton Sailing Club, just shy of California’s massive Interstate highway I-5.

A number of J/Teams are participating in this fun-loving adventure; a truly awesome, crazy, over-the-top downwind blast going past buoys, islands, and sand bars in an endless “chicane” from start to finish. READ MORE HERE.

Women’s Teams Ready for J/70 Helga Cup Regatta in Hamburg

(Hamburg, Germany)- For nine years, the Helga Cup in Hamburg, Germany, has shown how it’s done: the world’s largest women’s sailing regatta- almost 80 crews from 11 nations, from Olympic winners to outright beginners. The co-host clubs- Norddeutscher Regatta-Verein (NRV) & Hamburger Segel-Club (HSC)- roll-out the proverbial red carpet for women’s teams from all over the world. 

The regatta is sailed in a fleet of J/70 one-design sailboats on Hamburg’s beautiful Alster Lake for four unforgettable days of sailing, competition, and celebration. The event will take place from June 11th to 14th, 2026 for the 350+ women sailors.  READ MORE HERE. 

J/Teams Ready for New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta in Newport
(Newport, RI)- The second week of June traditionally marks the start of the summer sailing season for the New York Yacht Club. The NYYC Annual Regatta will be taking place over the June 12th to 14th weekend on the waters of Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound. Hundreds of sailors are looking forward to visiting the seaside resort of Newport, RI- “the city by the sea”- for some fun and frolic. The regatta format features the incredibly popular Round Island Race on Friday (a 21.0nm circumnavigation of Conanicut Island) and then two days of either round-the-buoys racing or PHRF navigational buoys racing.  READ MORE HERE.

Big J/Boats Contingent Ready for RORC Morgan Cup Race to Dartmouth

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The Salcombe Gin Morgan Cup Race marks the next major offshore test in the 2026 RORC Season’s Points Championship, the world’s largest offshore racing series and is the fourth race of the RORC Cowes Offshore Series, giving teams another valuable score in the seven race program based around starts from Cowes.

Starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line, the fleet will race west for 110.0nm from Cowes towards Dartmouth, with a course that blends Solent tactics, tidal gates along the south coast, and the final approach to the River Dart. 

The race is long enough to reward offshore discipline, but short enough to be raced at high intensity from the start. With headlands, tidal gates and possible transition zones all in play, the Morgan Cup is a race where concentration, sail changes and timing can make a big difference.

In excess of 40 boats across six IRC Classes gives the race real depth. The IRC fleet includes a strong mix of fully crewed and two handed teams, ranging from high performance race boats, racer/cruisers and classic designs. READ MORE HERE.

J/Teams Ready for 2026 La Duo Cat Amania Offshore Regatta in France
(Crouesty Arzon, France)- Hosted by the Yacht Club Crouesty Arzon from June 14th to 19th, the 2026 edition of the Duo Cat Amania will take the fleet south from Quiberon Bay towards La Turballe, then north towards Locmiquélic for the finish. The six-race stages visit the ports of Le Crouesty, La Turballe, Le Palais, Locmiquélic, La Trinité-sur-Mer, and Port Haliguen.

Competition for the top spots will be fierce again this year; many skippers are vying for a place in this iconic event— renowned above all for its lively evenings spent debriefing on everyone’s tactical choices and errors, and for the presentation of “La Rolande” (the event’s signature trophy). These highly-entertaining social gatherings are hosted by the racers’ association- “Amicale des coureurs”.

The regatta is defined by camaraderie and a great atmosphere; even though the racing itself is fiercely competitive, with sailors giving it their all and refusing to yield an inch. Sixty-five entries will be vying for handicap honors for each of six stages and for the overall series. READ MORE HERE.

J/99 European Cup Headlines J/Cup Europe in Cherbourg
(Cherbourg, France)- Run in partnership with Axe Sail and Yacht Club de Cherbourg, this year’s J/Cup Europe will bring together J/Boats teams from across Europe for competitive, well-run racing and great shoreside hospitality. All J/Boats are invited, and the J/99 European Cup will be incorporated into the program – expect close battles, busy start lines, and high-energy racing throughout.

In what amounts to their “European Cup”, there are seven J/109s expecting to race as a class. Some of those leading teams from the offshore wars on the Solent, the North Sea, and the English Channel include Philip Morgan’s JAGO, Pat Kelly’s STORM from Ireland, John Smart’s JUKEBOX, Rob Cotterill’s MOJO RISIN’, and Arjen van Leeuwen’s JOULE from The Netherlands. READ MORE HERE.

Edgartown ’Round-the-Island Race Returns to July Conditions in 2026
(Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, MA)— When Edgartown Yacht Club’s ’Round-the-Island Race (’RTI) returns to its traditional time slot in 2026 (July 25), it will provide racers with a steadier breeze that requires better execution and a more decisive test of sailing skill around Martha’s Vineyard.

At 52.0 nm, the ’RTI course is long enough to demand preparation and strategy, yet manageable enough that both racing and cruising boats typically finish by late afternoon or early evening. If tidal currents or lighter winds slow progress, the Race Committee may shorten the finish at one of four pre-designated shortened course gates, ensuring a rewarding day for all participants.

Here are FIVE “bucket list” reasons to enjoy the Edgartown RTI Race… READ MORE HERE.

Pam’s Passion for Racing Her J/27 on Smith Mountain Lake
(Smith Mountain Lake, VA)- About seven years ago Pam purchased a used J/27 to learn how to sail and race at the same time on the gorgeous Smith Mountain Lake in the middle of Virginia’s western mountains.

She could have selected a J/24 and raced within a small fleet at the lake. But, Pam was attracted to the J/27 because of the design. Since there were no other J/27s racing on Smith Mountain Lake, she races PHRF against other boats like the J/24, Colgate 26, Laser 28, SR-Max 21, S2 7.9, and Flying Scots, on the 40 mile lake. READ MORE HERE.

J/Gear June Special- 20% off!

The J Jam Polo is a versatile light weight polo shirt for cruising, performance, or casual. Adidas quality and comfort for humid, hot conditions.

Features & Specifications:
– 3.8 oz./yd² (US), 6.3 oz./L yd (CA), 100% recycled polyester
– Hydrophilic finish
– Ribbed-knit collar
– Three-button placket

Comes with the J Class logo of your choice and optional custom imprints for crew and regattas.

Order your J Jam polo here – CLICK HERE