Chaos for J/22 World Championships

The first official J/22 World Championship was won by Chris Larson in 1994, with the 33rd edition on October 7-10, 2026 in New Orleans, LA. While the event has been held in seven countries, participation tends to not be too worldly, and the latest edition is no exception.

46 entrants: 1 – Netherlands, 1 – Grand Caymen, 44 – USA.

Jean-Michel Lautier (NED), who holds three world titles from European venues – 2019 (Germany), 2023 (Germany), and 2025 (Italy) – will race for his first World title in the USA. He will face past World champions Chris Doyle (2015), Jeff Progelhof (2021), and Travis Odenbach (2024) from the USA.

Founded in 1849, host Southern Yacht Club previously held the 2011 World Championship which was significant for the club, coming six years after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the clubhouse in 2005. The J/22 fleet gathered beside the newly rebuilt waterfront home of SYC.

Consuming the local Hurricane beverage may not be the only chaos for competitors as the first storm of the Atlantic hurricane season – Isaias – formed in the Gulf on October 7. Estimated to reach Category 2 strength with 110 mph winds, it is expected to make landfall on October 9 somewhere between the New Orleans region and the western Florida Panhandle.

As a precaution, the event will conclude the Championship early with racing only on October 7-8.