History returns to the America’s Cup

For three matches in the 1930s, it was J Class yachts that decided the America’s Cup, and they will return for the 37th edition. Four stunning examples – Shamrock V, Velsheda, Rainbow, and Svea – will race on October 7-11 in Barcelona, Spain.

The 2024 J Class Barcelona Regatta is scheduled to run between the end of the Louis Vuitton Cup/Challenger Selection Series Finals and the start of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match.

The assembled fleet will reflect a full design history of the J Class. From the two original boats, ‘Queen of the Js’ Shamrock V, the first J to be built in the UK in 1930 and the only wooden boat, and the 1933 launched, lovingly maintained and campaigned Velsheda, to the potent Rainbow and Svea – recent builds to original designs.

Freshly relaunched, Shamrock V returns to regatta racing after the most comprehensive two-year bow-to-stern refit during which she was stripped back to her steel ribs and 95% of her original planking restored before it was refitted.

And it will be the first major class event for the new owner of Rainbow which had not raced since 2014. The lighter, more nimble William Starling Burgess design replica, launched in 2012, is said to be well-suited to the anticipated light to moderate conditions expected off Barcelona.

Swedish flagged Svea, which is derived from an original design by Swede, Tore Holm, in the hope of a Swedish America’s Cup challenge, debuted at the J Class America’s Cup regatta in Bermuda in 2017. In the hands of Swedish owners who are passionate, experienced owners, Svea has been the most successful J in the last couple of years.

The contrast between J Class yachts and the aerodynamic, flying modern AC75s has never been sharper. Whilst today’s America’s Cup machines are flown by powerful electronics and hydraulics, winning on an elegant, powerful J Class is still about careful choreography and smooth, practiced maneuvers by a crew of nearly 30.

“The J Class Barcelona Regatta will give great visibility to a class which is so much part of America’s Cup history whilst proving an outstanding counterpoint to the modern AC75,” said Stuart Childerley, Secretary of the J Class Association. “And for us as an organization, it is another step towards building a greater number of regular events to ensure the J Class enjoys a sustainable future, built around what owners and their crews want.”

Details: https://regatasrcnb.sailti.com/en/default/races/race/text/j-class-barcelona-regatta-2024-en

2024 Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Selection Series
August 29-September 8: Double Round Robin
September 14-19: Semi Finals (Best of 9)
September 26-October 7: Finals (Best of 13)

2024 America’s Cup
October 12-21: 37th Match (Best of 13)

Event details: www.americascup.com/en/home