J Class yachts converge on the UK for summer regattas

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J Class yachts compete at the St Barth's Bucket 2012 | photo by Jeff Brown/Superyacht Media

The first of this summer’s J Class regattas in the UK, which will be hosted by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club from 26 to 30 June, has attracted a big entry of these iconic yachts. Although Hanuman and Endeavour have recently withdrawn, four others are expected to compete in the four-race series in Falmouth Bay: the 1933 Velsheda, the replicas Ranger and Rainbow, and Lionheart, an alternative Ranger design. This will equal the number of Js that competed in 1935 and 1936 in a number of UK regattas.

‘We will be using windward-leeward courses with legs of 3.5 miles and a start line as close to the shore as the wind direction allows,’ says principal race officer John Pickup. ‘The adrenalin will be at the port end of the line as four 200 tonne yachts approach at 10 to 15 knots.’ The fleet will finish close to Pendennis Point using the imposing Black Rock as a distance mark, providing crowds with a breathtaking spectacle.

J Class racing in Falmouth Bay

Hosted by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club

Tue 26 June	Race One
Wed 27 June	Race Two
Friday 29 June	Race Three
Sat 30 June	Race Four
Sat 30 June	Prize-giving at Pendennis Castle

The racing will be competitive. ‘Each J has around eight permanent crew,’ says David Pitman, secretary of the J Class Association, ‘but 30 are needed to race them, and the extras include a lot of highly experienced sailors from all over the world.’

If, as expected, Endeavour joins the other boats for the Solent regatta in July, that fleet will match the biggest ever: in the USA in 1937, after Ranger had defeated Endeavour II in the America’s Cup, Yankee, Rainbow and Endeavour joined them in a dozen-or-so races which were part of the New York Yacht Club’s annual cruise. The June regatta is eagerly anticipated among owners, crews and members of the local community, who are expected to turn out in great numbers.

J Class racing in the Solent

Hosted by the Royal Southampton Yacht Club
The three series races will start in the western Solent with courses likely to include Christchurch Bay and the Nab Tower area.

Wed 18 July	Race One
Thu 19 July	Race Two
Fri 20 July	Race Three Series prize-giving at the Royal Southampton Yacht Club
Sat 21 July	Clockwise round-the-island race for the Hundred Guinea Cup