J Class: Encounter in the Barcelona Arena - J Class giants meet AC75 foilers

The first and only J Class regatta of the America's Cup this year took place off Barcelona. It was hosted by the Real Club Nautic de Barcelona. The races were held in accordance with the new ORC J VPP handicap rules of the J Class Association. The results suggest that the J beauties, with their very different design and performance characteristics, can probably be rated more evenly thanks to the new rule.

America's Cup history meets futuristic foilers

It wasn't just the futuristic AC75 spoilers that met in the Barcelona Arena in the battle for the "Auld Mug". Three imposing J-Class yachts also turned up for the encounter between Cup history and Cup modernity in the Spanish Mediterranean. The three-way battle between the J S1 "Svea" (10 points), the K7 "Velsheda" (15 points) and the KZ 13 "Rainbow" (18 points) was won by the Scandinavians at the J Class Barcelona Regatta.

In seven races, every J was able to win at least once in the competitive series. "Velsheda" sailed to second place behind "Svea" with two race wins, but won the Kohler Cup for the best performance of the season. The results of the regattas Saint Barth's Bucket, Superyacht Cup Palma, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the final Barcelona Summit were relevant. The latter remained in the memory because the encounters between the J-Class giants and the America's Cup racers showed almost a century of yachting history at a glance.

For "Svea", the victory in Barcelona was a nice reward for her two co-owners and the crew, which includes sailors from eleven different nations. Together, the team has also brought together a group of dinghy sailors and trained young sailors, who are guided by experienced big-boat sailors and J-Class veterans.

"Svea" ahead of "Velsheda" and "Rainbow"

In Barcelona, the J-Class yachts sailed into the limelight in the same waters as the AC75 foilers in the 37th America's Cup. This was also an unforgettable experience and honour for the professionals who regularly compete in top regattas around the world. The J-Class has been boosted by the interest of sailing fans in Barcelona and around the world, according to a statement from the class association. "Svea" navigator Steve Hayles said: "It was absolutely fantastic to be out there this week."

"Velsheda" tactician Tom Dodson said after the two final day victories for the opposing Swedes: "It was all 'Svea' today! We on 'Velsheda' and 'Rainbow' had to fight for second and third place. But congratulations to 'Svea'. On 'Velsheda' we crossed the line in the second start. In the first we were pushed off by the race committee boat. We spent the whole day trying to catch up."

Nevertheless, Tom Dodson took a positive view: "We have second place in the overall standings and are happy with that. It's a shame that the first day was so light and the last two days were a bit marginal. But the two windy days we had were simply great to sail."

The results of the J Class Barcelona Regatta
1st Svea (J/S1): 1,2,1,2,2,2,1,1 - 10 points
2nd Velsheda (K7): 2,1,2,1,3,3,3,3 - 15 points
3rd Rainbow (J-KZ 13): 4(DNC), 3,3,1,2,2 - 18 points

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