(Gzira, Malta)- This past week, the Royal Malta Yacht Club hosted its renowned Rolex Middlesea Race. Many consider it a must-do “bucket list” race due to the immense challenges it presents and the breathtaking, picturesque islands along the route. The race begins and ends in Malta, with participants circumnavigating the stunning volcanic island of Sicily, Italy. Covering a distance of 606 nautical miles, the journey starts from the Grand Harbour in Valletta, Malta, beneath Fort St. Angelo and the impressive medieval Saluting Battery. The fleet then heads northeast along the Sicilian coast, aiming for the Straits of Messina, where you can often catch a glimpse of Mount Etna, sometimes audible with its rumbling eruptions—it’s always “smoking,” that’s for sure! Read more here.

(Lerici, Italy)- For the first time in the ten-plus years the Italian J/70 Class has been running their famous Italy J/70 Cup Series, a “foreigner” from Chicago Yacht Club won the 26-race series over five regattas in the 2024 summer season! The series featured 130 entries in the Open Division and 67 entries in the Corinthian Division. In the end, it was Rich Witzel’s ROWDY team (Carlos Robles, Mortiz Spitzauer, & Tomas Dietrich) that won the series by a massive 34 pts margin, ending up at 66 pts net! Read more here.

(Annapolis, MD)- In the 47th year of the J/24 East Coast Championship at Severn Sailing Association, twenty teams from the northeastern seaboard of the USA gathered to compete in this fall classic on the Chesapeake Bay. Following a six-race series, with one race allowed to be discarded, a long-time J/24 class veteran from Portland, Maine—now residing in Georgetown, MD—emerged victorious by a significant margin of 12 points. Read more here.

(Hamburg, Germany)- As the finale of the German J/70 Sailing League Series championship approached, only three points separated the top two teams from northern Germany: the past winners, Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV), and the Mühlenberger Sailing Club (MSC). The racing on Lake Starnberg was set to be intense and competitive, featuring skilled skippers. NRV had Olympic participant and former 470 world champion Luise Wanser making her debut, while MSC was depending on the experienced Magnus Simon at the helm. A total of eighteen teams were competing throughout the three-day regatta. Read more here.

(San Diego, CA)- The San Diego Yacht Club is hosting its annual Lipton Cup Trophy regatta sailing a fleet of matched J/105s supplied by their generous owners. Here is the first day’s regatta report. 

Day one of racing had out-of-towners wondering about the thick spooky marine layer that not very many people think of when they hear about sunny San Diego and the perfect year-round sailing conditions. Read more here.

(Seabrook, TX)- The J/Fest Southwest Regatta is celebrating its 14th Anniversary and is becoming a popular tradition among the J/Boat owners throughout the southwestern region with over 70 J/Boats and avid J/Boat competitors from around the country.

Hosted by Lakewood Yacht Club from November 1st to 3rd, the regatta will feature one-design classes of J/22s, J/24s, J/105s, and ORC handicap divisions. Read more here. 

(Ft. Worth, TX)- From November 7th to 10th, the Fort Worth Boat Club on the gorgeous Eagle Mountain Lake in Ft. Worth, TX will be hosting the 2024 J/70 US National Championship. Currently, twenty-one teams will be participating on this shifty, puffy, challenging lake to the west of downtown Ft. Worth and Dallas. Read more here. 

(Saint-Cast, France)- From November 8th to 10th, the Club Nautique de Saint-Cast will be hosting the French J/80 National Championship. The entire team at the Saint-Cast Nautical Center is dedicated to making this event an unforgettable experience, both in terms of sportsmanship and camaraderie. Saint-Cast Le Guildo is a renowned resort on the Emerald Coast, boasting a stunning body of water and excellent port facilities. Notably, this club was a pioneer of the J/80 class in France and has a fleet of J/80s that frequently participates in events. The CN Saint-Cast is recognized for its expertise in organizing J/80 competitions. Read more here.

(Hong Kong, China)- The annual Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Around the Island Race will take place on Saturday, October 26th. This event is one of the largest inshore races in Hong Kong, covering a distance of 26.0 nautical miles around Hong Kong Island. More than 200 boats are expected to participate, with over 1,500 competitors from various yacht, sailing, and rowing clubs across the region. The race features a significant J/80 one-design class, along with several J-class boats competing in the IRC handicap classes. Read more here.