astra j class yacht

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

A pocket guide to the J Class yachts – the world’s most elegant racing fleet

• Toby Hodges
• March 19, 2017

Toby Hodges profiles the world's most beautiful fleet of classic racing yachts – the J Class

Shamrock V – JK3

J Class yacht Shamrock sailplan

LOA: 36.50m /119ft 9in · LWL: 26.7m/87ft 7in · Beam: 6.00m/19ft 8in · Disp: 166 tonnes

Original lines: Charles E Nicholson

Modified design: Dykstra Naval Architects

Launch year and yard: 1930, Camper & Nicholsons

Identifying features: The only wooden J and the smallest. Dark green hull with bronze deck fittings.

Current state: She has just had a refit in Palma after a long period under her past owner chartering, cruising and occasional racing.

Race prediction:Her smaller size means she will struggle against the other J Class yachts in real time – but she has the most experienced skipper and her recent mods are all aimed at making her competitive on handicap.

Skipper: Simon Lacey · Race Helmsman: Mike ‘Moose’ Sanderson

Photo: J Class Association / Gerhard Standop

Velsheda – JK7

J Class yacht Velsheda sailplan

LOA: 39.25m/128ft 9in · LWL: 27.8m/91ft 3in · Beam: 6.57m/21ft 7in · Disp: 180 tonnes

Launch year and yard: 1933, Camper & Nicholsons. Rebuilt by Southampton Yacht Services in 1997.

Identifying features: Dark blue hull, pinched transom and that iconic sharp J bow.

Current state: Continually optimised and very well prepared.

Race prediction: Highly experienced, well-gelled crew and a yacht that is looking particularly nimble and aggressive at the start. Despite surrendering size to the modern J Class yachts she’s a firm favourite to win any regatta.

Skipper: Barney Henshaw-Depledge · Race helmsman: Owner-driver

Helen Fretter goes racing on board J Class yacht Velsheda

Photo: J Class Association / Onne van der Wal

Endeavour – JK4

J Class yacht Endeavour sailplan

LOA: 39.31m/128ft 12in · LWL: 27.30m/89ft 7in · Beam: 6.68m/21ft 11in · Disp: 175 tonnes

Launch year and yard: 1934, Camper & Nicholson. Relaunched by Royal Huisman in 1989.

Identifying features: Royal ‘Endeavour Blue’ hull, clean deck, single deckhouse.

Current state: Completely refitted by Yachting Developments in 2010-11. Based between Palma and Cascais she is for sale through Edmiston and in prize condition.

Race prediction: Fully optimised and race ready, but is up for sale and now already unlikely to be ready in time for Bermuda.

Skipper: Luke Bines · Race helmsman: N/A (Torben Grael in 2012)

Video exclusive: what it’s like to sail the iconic J Class Endeavour

Photo: J Class Association / Jens Fischer

Ranger – J5

J Class yacht Ranger sailplan

LOA: 41.63m/136ft 7in · LWL: 28.80m/94ft 6in · Beam: 6.41m/21ft 0in · Disp: 203 tonnes

Original design: Starling Burgess and Olin Stephens

Modified design: Studio Scanu, Reichel Pugh, Fred Elliot and Dykstra Naval Architects

Launch year and yard: 2003, Danish Yacht

Identifying features: White hull with snub nose and spoon bow.

Current state: Refitted and optimised at Newport Shipyard 2016, where chainplates were moved forward and tracks modified to take a bigger headsail.

Race prediction: The heaviest J, but a rocket in flat water, such as in Bermuda’s Great Sound. A veteran crew whose consistency is Ranger’s trump card.

Skipper: Dan Jackson · Race helmsman: Erle Williams

Ranger J5 – the first completely new J Class yacht

Ranger , J5 RYS centenary 2015. Photo Paul Wyeth

Rainbow – JH2

J Class yacht Rainbow sailplan

LOA: 39.89m/130ft 11in · LWL: 26.90m/88ft 3in · Beam: 6.42m/21ft 1in · Disp: 167 tonnes

Original lines: William Starling Burgess

Launch year and yard: 2012, Holland Jachtbouw

Identifying features: Black hull, red bottom and modern grey rig with race boom.

Current state: Sold in 2015 by Chris Gongriep, the former owner of Holland Jachtbouw, she has since solely been used for cruising by her US owner who shows no signs of wanting to race, although she will be in Bermuda to watch.

Race prediction: Was cruised and raced extensively for a couple of seasons after she was built and has proven to be a supremely fast boat for her size in the right hands.

J Class yacht Rainbow – the Dutch destroyer

Hanuman – JK6

J Class yacht Hanuman sailplan

LOA: 42.19m/138ft 5in · LWL: 27.50m/90ft 3in · Beam: 6.60m/21ft 8in · Disp: 180 tonnes

Launch year and yard: 2009 Royal Huisman

Identifying features: Carries the old Endeavour II sail number JK6 – but a totally modern day reinterpretation of Sopwith’s second boat, built in aluminium.

Current state: Her weight and stability were optimised at Newport Shipyard in 2016 and she was also fitted with a new mast and rigging, plus a new furling headstay.

Race prediction: With her same core Comanche/Puma crew and Ken Read on the wheel, this is a highly race-oriented J Class yacht.

Skipper: Greg Sloat · Race helmsman: Ken Read

Inside J class yacht Hanuman

Lionheart JH1

J Class yacht Lionheart sailplan

LOA: 43.4m/142ft 5in · LWL 27.2m/89ft 3in · Beam: 6.55m/21ft 6in · Disp: 180 tonnes

Original lines: Starling Burgess and Olin Stephens

Modified design: Hoek Design

Launch year and yard: 2010, Bloemsma and Claasen Jachtbouw

Identifying features: Black hull and rig, bulwarks giving a high freeboard effect, two deckhouses.

Current state: Constantly upgraded, Lionheart has new North raw sails with plans to build more sails before Bermuda.

Race prediction: Lionheart is consistently optimised, has some key pros and a fantastic crew spirit. Should be finishing in the top three in Bermuda.

Skipper: Toby Brand · Race helmsman: Owner-driver · Tactics: Bouwe Bekking

J Class yacht Lionheart J/H1 – replica of an original that was never built

Photo: J Class Association / Thierry Martinez

J Class yacht Topaz sailplan

LOA: 42.7m/140ft 1in · LWL: 27.8m/91ft 3in · Beam: 6.75m/22ft 2in · Disp: 180 tonnes

Original lines: Frank Paine

Launch year and yard: 2015, Holland Jachtbouw

Identifying features: Longest waterline of all the Js (for which there is a sail area penalty) she has a striking Art Deco interior and a dark blue hull with turquoise antifoul.

Current state: New and raring to go.

Race prediction: With her fuller volume forward, longer waterline and shorter keel, Hoek believes she will be the fastest J Class downwind and in light airs. The crew has practised hard since last year and now has top big boat helm in Holmberg.

Skipper: Romke Lopik · Race helmsman: Peter Holmberg

New J Class yacht named Topaz is launched – and the design team says she is “absolutely stunning”

Photo: J Class Association / Carlo Borlenghi

J Class yacht Svea sailplan

LOA: 43.6m/143ft 1in · LWL: 27.6m/90ft 7in · Beam: 6.65m/21ft 10in · Disp: 180 tonnes

Original lines: Tore Holm

Launch year and yard: 2017, Bloemsma / Vitters

Identifying features: Dark grey metallic hull, near flush ultra-clean, ergonomically optimised deck with low single doghouse and huge 8ft diameter wheel that turns in a well that extends down to the keel frames.

Current state: Just launched.

Race prediction: Tore Holm was a gifted Metre designer and Svea looks like a fast upwind boat, with a race oriented deck design and a slippery underwater shape. It’s asking a lot of her crew to be competitive for 2017.

Skipper: Paul ‘PK’ Kelly

Race helmsman: Owner driver

Nine Js and counting: J Class Svea J-S1 is sold and under construction at Vitters

The history of the J-Class

The Js are inextricably linked with the America’s Cup as, barring Velsheda , all were built for the purpose of America’s Cup racing. From 1929 to 1937, 20 J Class yachts were designed. Ten of these went on to be built, with six racing in the America’s Cup finals. A modern J Class yacht’s  lines can only be taken from the original designs, ensuring the fleet’s look endures.

Story of the J-Class Yachts:

The J-Class was adopted for America's Cup competition in 1928, looking forward to the next regatta in 1930.  The Class itself, though, dated back to the turn of the century when the Universal Rule was adopted though no J-Class yachts had yet been built.

The Rule used a yacht's various dimensions to calculate an equivalent rating in feet.  Boats of equal rated lengths could then race against each other directly without making other allowances for time or distance sailed.  Even though one yacht might have a longer length or another yacht a larger sail area, their overall configurations had to produce a rated length that met the Universal Rule for that class. Boats in Class J, more commonly today termed J-Class yachts, were the largest constructed under the Universal Rule.  The Rule actually includes provisions for an even larger type of boat, the I Class, though none were ever built.  Inquiries made in the 1930s for a Defense in the smaller K Class were rejected.

The J-Class were the first yachts in an America's Cup match to be governed by a formal design rule.  Previous defenders and challengers were only restricted by minimum and maximum lengths set forth in the Deed of Gift.  Sir Thomas Lipton, challenging in 1930 for the fifth time, had held earlier discussions with the New York Yacht Club in hopes of adopting the Universal Rule for the previous America's Cup match, intended for 1914 but delayed until 1920.  Though an agreement to use the rule was not reached for that match, the 1914 US boats, Vanitie and Resolute, still roughly followed J-Class parameters.

Building Program:

There were only 10 J-class yachts designed and built.  Additionally, several yachts of closely related dimensions, mostly 23-Meter International Rule boats, were converted after their construction to meet the rating rules of the J-Class. 

Only the purpose-built Cup yachts, though, could compete in the America's Cup.  The "converted" J-Class yachts, while acceptable for Class racing events, were not admissible for America's Cup competition.  Responding to issues that surfaced in earlier defenses, the America's Cup rules required that all boats had to be sailed to the event on their own bottom.  Some critics pointed out the possibility that the challenger might, as a result, be disadvantaged by  being of heavier construction than the defender.  In order to avoid a situation that could be perceived as an undue advantage, the NYYC eventually agreed that all America's Cup J-Class yachts would be built to Lloyds A1 standards, ensuring that defender and challenger met the same minimum construction specifications (the nautical term is "scantlings").  Most existing yachts were not built to such standards, so the Cup-eligible boats thus ended up heavier than the ineligible J's.

(The issue of challengers having to build heavier boats due to the ocean crossing was a popular, if uncertain, explanation in the British press for the long string of American victories.  In practice, a number of challengers added internal bracing for the crossing, which was then removed before racing.  And on a few occasions defenders subsequently made the crossing in reverse in search of competition following their successful defense.  The rule requiring that the challenger sail to the event on her own bottom was actually instituted in response to a super-lightweight challenger towed to the match through canals and rivers from Canada.

The J-Class Yachts

Disposition:

Conceived at the height of the affluent 1920's, the J-boats arrived during the Great Depression.  They required enormous crews, and, despite expert attention to their technical details, still broke an astonishing number of masts.  While they were in most regards the most advanced sailing yachts yet built, and they were  indeed powerful sailing thoroughbreds formed in sleek lines that can race the pulse of almost every viewer, the glorious J's proved too extravagant for their own good.  Most had very limited sailing careers outside of America's Cup.  Ranger , whose 1937 cost was upwards of $500,000, was laid-up at the end of her debut season and never sailed again.  All of the American J's were scrapped between 1935 and 1941. Most of the British J's were either abandoned or scrapped.

When NYYC sought to revive the America's Cup in the 1950s, there was a faction that favored returning to the J-Class.  Mike Vanderbilt even stated that not only would he like to see the Cup contested in the large boats, but that if so he would consider rebuilding a new Range r to the design of the original.  Still, another faction hoped for smaller dual-use yachts that could be used in offshore racing when the Cup year was ended.  With cost estimates for a 1958-era J starting around three million dollars, the impulse for a J-Class defense faded away in the face of economic pressures and a compromise was reached to sail the America's Cup in International Rule 12-Meters.

The J-Class Resurgent

J-Class rigs today are no longer built of wood or dur-alumin, but with modern lightweight composites.  Their sail technology is long past being canvas duck, and many other subtle changes have been made to make the ongoing maintenance and operation of these yachts a realistic proposition.  Still, the J-Class owners have gone to great lengths to insure the integrity of the boats.  The J-Class is self-administered, rather than governed by an outside organization as is the case with almost all other classes.  This allows the members to more easily adapt the rules in order to serve the needs of these uniquely historic yachts.

Most of the surviving J's are available for charter.  Cambria was reportedly for sale in 2000.  Endeavour changed hands in 2006 for a reported $13.1 million USD, though as her former owner Dennis Kozlowski said, "No one truly owns Endeavour .  She's a part of yachting history.''

Recreations, Replicas, and a Tender:

For decades, most yachting fans thought that we would never again see the likes of these boats again, the few survivors would sooner or later fade away, and the whole history would be reserved for books and fading photographs, but following the restoration of the surviving hulls rumors grew throughout the late 1990's and early 2000's about building "new" J's.  In 2001, all of this dock talk began to become reality:

Ranger Wooden Boat magazine, March/April 2001, described a "Dutchman" who had commissioned a new Ranger built to the original's plan.  This incredible rumor came true, and a piece of lost sailing history was brought back to life.  The new version of this "Superboat", as Mike Vanderbilt once called her, was officially launched in October, 2003. 

Designed by Studio Scanu and Reichel-Pugh, and built by Danish Yachts, Skagen, Denmark, she is not an exact replica of the original. Some would term her a re-interpretation, as a number of changes were made including greater freeboard, and Ranger 's original designers did not participate in the project.  The new Ranger first competed head-to-head against other J's in Antigua, Spring, 2004.  It took some additional adjustment after launch by her owners and designers to seek the proper trim that would make her float on her lines, an essential step in the process of being officially rated a J-Class yacht.  Visit the Ranger Website for more info.  J-Class Management is also at work on a restoration of Bystander, tender to the original Ranger .

Endeavour II An Endeavour II replica is being built at Royal Huisman Shipyard, with a planned 2008 launch date.  Gerard Dykstra and Partners is leading the project, which features a lightweight Alustar (aluminum alloy) hull and carbon-fiber mast.  See additional photo at Yachtspotter

Lionheart Based on an unbuilt alternate design by Starling Burgess and Olin Stephens II that was considered for 1937's America's Cup defender Ranger , this new boat is being built at yards in the Netherlands for an expected 2008 launch.  Lionheart will be the longest J-Class yacht when completed. See more including photos of the completed hull at the Lionheart Website and the story of sailing onboard including photos and videos Cruising J-Class Style Aboard Lionheart at Yachting World Designer:  Hoek Design Builders: Bloemsma Aluminiumbouw and Claasen Jachtbouw BV

Svea Tore Holm's unbuilt 1937 design, said by some to be faster in the test tank than any of the original boats, is being pursued by Hoek Design

Name To Be Announced In late March 2008, reports of another replica about to begin construction appeared on the Classic Boat website .  Whether this is one of the known projects, such as Svea , above, or yet another replica about to become reality, such as Rainbow , below, should become known shortly.

Rainbow In late May, 2008, Dykstra and Partners announced that a new build of the 1934 America's Cup Defender Rainbow was underway, with an expected launch date of 2010.  Read the Press Release

Other projects: Hoek Design is also studying replicas of 1930's Enterprise and another boat from Yankee designer Frank Paine.  Yankee herself has also been rumored as a new project, as well.  Earlier reports of a Ranger alternate-design carrying the name of Seawolf may have been referring to the project that has become Lionheart , see above.  Whirlwind and Weetamoe are the only two designs of the original ten J's that aren't known to be sailing, building, or under serious consideration as of 2008.  The J-Class website points out that there are 10 unbuilt J designs from the 1930's, so the possibilities for more J-Class yachts are intriguing.

Yachting World reported in May, 2003 , that construction was underway on a yacht replicating the famous G.L Watson design Britannia .  Photos showed a nearly completed hull at Solombala Shipyard, in Arkhangel, Russia, and included interviews with the yacht's owner Sigurd Coates of Norway.  The design was adapted by Cesil Stephansen from published plans.  The original designer's modern descendent company, G.L.Watson & Co., Ltd., has no involvement with the Arkhangel boat.  Little was been heard of this ambitious project for years, until the yacht was finally launched only to become subject of a financial dispute, trapping her in Russia until 2009, when she "escaped" to Norway. 

In the Spirit

A similar project to return elegant yachts to competitive racing, the W-class, was set in motion by Donald Tofias, an American enthusiast.  He commissioned naval architect Joel White to design a new class with lines evocative of famous racing yachts like the New York 50's and the J-Class.  The first two boats, Wild Horses and White Wings , were built in Maine of modern cold-molded wood construction and launched in 1998.  It is Tofias' aim that there will eventually be a whole fleet of the beautiful W-class to regularly compete against each other.  The one-design W-76 is actually similar to the New York 50's.  Tofias' long-range plans involve a range of classes including 46, 62, 76, 105, and 130.  The 130's would be nearly identical in basic dimensions to the J-class. See the W-Class Websit e .  

Additional Links: Chris Cameron onboard Ranger at Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, 2010: Photo Gallery

Web Sites of Particular Interest: The J-Class Association J-Class Management, Inc.  

Further Notes:

K-Class: The Royal London Yacht Club made and withdrew its inquiry for a K-Class challenge in 1935.  The intent had been to reduce costs, not the least of which was hoped to be a lower velocity of mast replacement, but the K-Class line of thought was rejected for several reasons.  For one, the K-Class wasn't so much smaller than the J-Class as to have clearly led to significant savings.  Additionally, no K-Class yachts existed on either side of the Atlantic while several J's of various pedigree were available for testing, training, and racing in 1935.  Also a factor was that the NYYC was already actively considering another challenge at the time the RLYC began their communication  about the K-Class and it was the NYYC's policy to consider only one challenge at a time, in keeping with the Deed of Gift.

Sailing to the Event on Own Bottom: This provision of the Deed of Gift was at times strictly interpreted to the the degree of making sure that the challenging yacht actually was under her own sail while traveling to the match, not towed by another boat.  Challengers returning across the Atlantic after Cup matches concluded were sometimes towed for convenience. Eventually the NYYC agreed at various times to permit towing the yachts to the match, particularly when conditions were light, and in 1956, for the coming of the 12-meter yachts in 1958, the Deed of Gift was amended to eliminate the requirement.

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The J Yachts

By John Hanks III

The J yachts came about, believe it or not, because yachtsmen of the late 1920s felt that

the yachts sailing for the America’s Cup had gotten too big and were becoming too

unstable. The prevalent “skimming dish” designs were considered suitable for light to

moderate wind speeds only. As a consequence the J Class was adopted to sail in the

America’s Cup races in the 1930s and beyond.

The J yachts were designed to the American Universal Rule. This rule embodies a

formula that considers, among other things, the waterline length, sail area, and,

displacement to reach a specified answer. This allows the designers to change the hull

shape and sail area within certain restrictions. The boats had to have a waterline length of

76 to 87 feet and were allowed to displace over 160 tons. The resulting yachts were huge

by today’s standards, with the largest having and overall length of over 135 feet and

masts that towered over 150 feet above the deck. (see photo #1)

The development of the Js produced a class of yachts that were large, powerful, and fast.

They had long overhangs, massive rigs, and flowing lines. In short, they were great and

elegant sailing machines, generating a mystique that has carried through to the present

day. I ask you-who can look at a J on the water and not get goose bumps?

Ten yachts were built to the J Class specifications between 1930 and 1937, six in

America and four in Britain. In addition, six other large yachts sailing at the time had

their sail plans altered to convert them to the J Class (Vanitie and Resolute in America;

and White Heather II, Britannia, Astra, and Candida in Britain).While technically

considered Js, these converted yachts did not compete in any of the America’s Cup trials

or the final races, but rather sailed in local and regional regattas with the America’s Cup

The Js employed the latest in metallurgy and yacht design, and were responsible for

several innovations. All but one of the American boats were built of steel above the

waterlines and Tobin bronze below, while the British boats were mostly built of steel.

Bronze was used for the underwater portion of the hull on the American boats after tank

testing showed that polished bronze had 10% less surface drag in the water than painted

steel. Typically the American yachtsmen wanted every advantage that they could get, and

they could afford the additional cost of the bronze hull. The lone all steel American yacht

was Ranger, built in 1937 at the depth of the Depression, when money was tight even for

the wealthiest yachtsmen.

The American J Enterprise was the first big yacht to use an aluminum mast. Her original

mast was spruce and weighed some 5,000 lb., while the aluminum one weighed a mere

4,000 lb. That 1,000 lb. savings greatly improved her performance. Another innovation in

Enterprise’s rig was the “Park Avenue” boom. This was triangular in cross section with

the top of the boom flat and the apex of the triangle pointed down at the deck. The boom

was wide enough (about 4 ft. maximum) so that the foot of the main sail could be shaped

using a series of tracks that ran across the boom. This allowed the crew to control the

shape of the sail at the foot, improving the drive in the bottom third of the sail. Other

yachts accomplished the same thing with flexible aluminum booms which had a strut and

rigging system, which allowed the crew to bend the boom to achieve the desired sail

Other improvements in yachts design occurred during the life of the Js. In 1930

Wheetamoe used just two jibs instead of the traditional triple head rig popular at the time.

The genoa jib was also greatly improved on the Js, increasing in size and progressing

toward the shape that we see today. The spinnakers also evolved during the 1930s,

culminating in the 18,000 sq. ft. monster used on Ranger in 1937. Remember that the J

sails were made of cotton rather than the synthetic fabrics that we have today, so the

typical 5,000 sq. ft. mainsail weighed about 2,000 pounds. It is no wonder that the Js

required a crew of about 35 professional sailors.

Tank testing also became much more important during the J era. It had been used

previously by designers but had been viewed with some skepticism. All of the J design

work used tank testing to some extent but in 1937 the designers of Ranger used the

testing results to select the final design. The design team stated, without the test tank

results, they would otherwise not have selected the final design for Ranger because the

design was sufficiently different from what they accustomed to seeing. In the end, Ranger

proved to be so fast that she was almost unbeatable.

The Js that competed in the 1930 America’s Cup defender trials were Weetamoe

(designed by Clinton Crane), Enterprise (designed by W. Starling Burgess), Yankee

(designed by Frank C. Paine, and Whirlwind (designed by L Francis Herreshoff). The

yacht selected to defend the Cup would sail against the British challenger, Shamrock V,

(designed by Charles Nicholson). The defender trials quickly demonstrated that

Enterprise and Yankee were the faster yachts. In fact the two were so closely matched

that the final selection was not possible until the very last race had been completed, with

Enterprise edging out Yankee by a very slim margin.

The America’s Cup races were sailed in September 1930, with Shamrock V challenging

Enterprise for the “Old Mug”. Unfortunately for Sir Thomas Lipton, his fifth challenge

for the Cup, was no more successful than his previous four. Shamrock V was beaten in

four straight races in the best of seven series by the American yacht Enterprise.

In 1934 the British again challenged for the America’s Cup. This time, T. O. M. Sopwith,

the famous WW I aircraft manufacturer, had Charles Nicholson design a new J,

Endeavour, and sailed across the Atlantic to challenge for the Cup. The American

syndicate, headed by Harold Vanderbilt had W. Starling Burgess design a new J,

Rainbow, for the 1934 Cup series. The defender series, that year, was more of a tune-up

session than a serious defender trial since neither of the older yachts – Yankee and

Weetamoe – were a serious challenge to Rainbow.

September 1934 saw the two magnificent Js, Endeavour and Rainbow, come together off

Newport to sail for the America’s Cup. This time the Americans were in for a little

surprise, the British had built a truly fast boat. Endeavour won the first two races and

appeared to be on the way to winning the Cup for England. In the third race, however

Rainbow came back to win and carried her momentum through the next three races to

retain the Cup for America. This was probably the first time that a faster yacht had lost to

a slower but better sailed competitor.

The 1937 America’s Cup challenge again produced two new Js, the American yacht

Ranger, designed by W. Starling Burgess and Olin J. Stephens, and the British challenger

Endeavour II, designed by Charles Nicholson. The defender trials pitted Ranger against

Rainbow and Yankee and demonstrated that Ranger was by far the superior yacht. She

easily defeated the other two by wide margins for the right to defend the Cup.

In late July and early August Ranger met Endeavour II for the best of seven series. Again

Ranger demonstrated her superior speed by defeating Endeavour II in four straight races.

Ranger won the first two by margins of almost 20 minutes each, and it is rumored that

Harold Vanderbilt slowed Ranger down in the last two races to keep the finishes closer.

Sadly, this was the last time that the magnificent Js would sail for the America’s Cup.

Most of the Js only sailed for one season. Enterprise and Whirlwind were laid up after the

1930 America’s Cup series, never to be sailed again. Yankee sailed for several more

years and even sailed crossed the Atlantic in the summer of 1935, to participate in the

Royal Yacht Squadron’s summer cruise in England. All of the remaining American Js

were laid up following the 1937 America’s Cup series, never to sail again. Weetamoe

was broken up in May 1938. Ranger, the greatest J ever built, sailed only four months.

She was launched in May 1937 and laid up in August of the same year. She survived until

WW II began, at which time she was broken up, with her materials contributing to the

war effort.

By the time the next Cup races were scheduled in 1940, war in Europe had broken out

and priorities had shifted from friendly yacht racing to a life and death struggle for

survival. All of the remaining American Js were broken up to feed the U.S. industrial war

needs. In England, however, only Endeavour II did not outlive the war. Endeavour and

Shamrock V both survived, as well as a third J, Velshida. All three of these original Js

have been restored and are sailing today.

When the America’s Cup racing resumed in 1958, time and progress had passed the Js

by. They were too big and too expensive to build and race, so a smaller class of less

costly yachts was designated to be sailed in the America’s Cup competitions. The 12

Meter era was born and the Js faded into history.

As a footnote, the three remaining Js have created so much interest in the last ten years or

so that new Js have been built. Replicas of Rainbow, Ranger and Endeavour II have been

built as well as several designs that were designed for the America’s Cup but never built.

Lionheart, and Chevyo were built from two of the five designs in the series that were

tested for Ranger and Seva was the intended Swedish design to challenge in 1940. All of

the original and the new Js sail together at various events around the world throughout

the year. All of them were built to meet current safety standards for charter and are

available for charter if you are so inclined. The modern J web site is www.amyajclass.com .

Although most of the original Js have passed on into history, they will continue to live on

in the form of R/C models. Appropriately enough, the models are as large and impressive

as the full size yachts are in real life. That is what makes the J Class so unique in the

Photo #1 – Ranger under sail in 1937. Photo by Morris Rosenfeld

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J-class yachts

Quick reference.

Racing yachts built during the inter-war period to the American Universal Rule. They were 23–6 metres (75–87 ft) on the waterline, and so conformed to the New York Yacht Club's J-class. As a generic term, the J-class also usually includes those yachts which were built to another rule, such as the International Metre Class, but which were altered in 1931 to conform to the J-class rules for Big Class regatta racing in British waters (Astra, Britannia, and Candida).

When Sir Thomas Lipton challenged for the America's Cup in 1929 the New York Yacht Club chose the J-class for the races. None of the six J-class built in the USA—Weetamoe, Whirlwind, Enterprise, Yankee (all built for the 1930 defence), Rainbow (1934), and Ranger (1937)—has survived, though a replica of Ranger has been built. But of the four British ones—Shamrock V (built for the 1930 challenge), Velsheda (never a challenger), Endeavour (1934), and Endeavour II (1937)—only Endeavour II was scrapped, in 1963, though only Shamrock V continued to sail, with a cruising rig. There was a great revival of these elegant reminders of a bygone yachting age during the 1980s and 1990s. The three remaining Js, plus two other yachts converted to the J-class to race with them (Astra, Candida), and one (Cambria) which raced in the Big Class but was never altered to conform to J-class rules, were all restored as closely as possible to their original rig. There is now a possibility of more new Js being built.

From:   J-class yachts   in  The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea »

Subjects: History

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J Class Yachts

Go inside the world of the iconic J Class yachts with reports on board these famous vessels, interviews with their owners and coverage of the J Class World Championships. Boat International is the official media partner of the J Class Association.

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William Fife. III CAMBRIA

Sail Number: K4

Vessel Type: 23 Metre Class

Ex; 1934, 1962 Lilias

LOA: 135′ 0″ / 41.14m – LOD: 111′ 0″ / 33.83m – LWL: 78′ 0″ / 23.77m – Beam: 20′ 5″ / 6.22m – Draft: 9′ 3″ / 2.81 – Displacement: 162 Tonnes – Sail Area: 8,270 sq ft – Hull material: Steel – Rig: Bermudan Cutter – Designer: William Fife III – Built by: William Fife & Son, Fairlie (no. 758) – Year Built: 1928 – Current Name: Cambria – Original Owner: Sir William Berry – Website: Sailing Vessel Cambria

Historical:

Forerunner of the J-Class Yachts

YachtCambria.Com – Launched in May 1928 Cambria was the first of a new generation of Big class cutters. Finally after years of racing a mixed class of yachts under an unsatisfactory handicap system there was an attempt to create a new harmonious Big Class. The years of austerity that followed World War I were over, the rating rules were well established and both Sir Mortimer Singer and Sir William Berry commissioned new cutters. Singer’s Astra was designed by Charles E. Nicholson and built by Camper & Nicholsons, Berry’s Cambria was designed and built by William Fife.

There could not have been a greater contrast between the owners of these two new cutters. Singer was an established yachtsman from a wealthy family trading up from the 12 Metre Class, Berry was a newcomer and as such relied on the advice of experts. First among these was Brooke Heckstall-Smith, secretary of the Yacht Racing Association and editor of Yachting World magazine, one of many titles in Berry’s media portfolio.

Sir William Berry’s rise to prominence is one of the greatest rags to riches stories in the media and it is all the more so since he was one of only a handful of 20th Century newspaper owner-editors. Leaving school at 13 he was apprenticed to a weekly newspaper in Merthyr, South Wales, six years later he moved to London. With a capital of 100 pounds he single-handedly edited, collected advertising and distributed his own magazine, within a few years he had secured a foothold in the publishing industry. In 1915 he borrowed money to buy the moribund Sunday Times and became its editor in chief. This was the start of phenomenally successful period of empire building. Within a few years he had acquired the Financial Times from Sir John Ellerman, The Hulton Press from Lord Rothermere and the Amalgamated Press (magazines) from the executors of Lord Northcliffe. These were followed by the purchase of the largest newsprint manufacturer and the ailing Daily Telegraph from Lord Burham by which time Berry had created the largest media empire of the time.

With business came a social position, – a baronetcy and later his elevation to the rank of viscount – and the formation of one of the great British collections. Berry had tremendous taste, he bought avidly and eclectically; Old Masters, British pictures and furniture, oriental carpets, porcelain, glass and silver. The world began to take notice in 1927 when he bought van Dyke’s Portrait of Abbe Scaglia, one of the artist’s finest works. In 1935 he bought Hackwood Park from Lord Bolton to house his collection and it remained there until dispersed on the death of his son, the 2nd Viscount Camrose, in 1998.

It was in the midst of this whirl of collecting that Berry ordered Cambria, famously asking his wife if she too might like a similar yacht, an offer she declined. Success in yachting would bring an altogether new prestige: King George V dominated the Big Class with his Britannia and to enter this peer group Berry needed to be prepared. Heckstall-Smith was ideally placed to advise him on the choice of designer but was far from impartial since he and Charles E. Nicholson had crossed swords several times over rating rules, Alfred Mylne would have been a gamble so Heckstall-Smith directed Berry to William Fife. Fife was a safe bet and eager to secure so prestigious an order. When contracts were exchanged on 1 August 1927 Fife was forced to write to Berry conceding, ‘that it is a term of the bargain that the specification is subject to such reasonable variations I may agree with Sir William Burton, acting on your behalf, without variation of price.’ Burton was another of Heckstall-Smith’s appointees, he considered him ‘the greatest master of sailing a plain level match’. Certainly Burton’s credentials were immaculate, he had dominated the 52 foot, 15 metre and 19 metre classes with his own yachts and helmed Shamrock IV in the 1920 America’s Cup.

With trials completed on schedule Cambria made her racing debut in Harwich at the first event of the 1928 season. It was a close race and she won setting the tone for what Berry would expect from then on. Cambria, like Astra, was built to the Second International Rule and had to rate between 21 and 24 metres and a time allowance to settle any differences. Had the class been limited to these modern Bermudan rigged yachts it would have worked. However, by necessity the class had to include the King’s Britannia, built in 1893 and still gaff rigged, the old rule 23 metre class yachts Shamrock and White Heather of 1908 and 1909, the one off cutter Lulworth and the schooner Westward. It was a rating officer’s nightmare and the racing was far from equitable.

Most significant amongst the problems that afflicted the new yachts was a limitation imposed on mast height and Cambria, built to the upper size limits of the class, was particularly handicapped. Burton steered immaculately but, penalised by the rating, the prizes went disproportionately to yachts 10 to 25 years older than Cambria. The atmosphere on board deteriorated and whilst Berry may have retreated to the fully equipped wireless room he had had fitted on board for business purposes, Fife was left to lament that he knew all too well what was wrong.

For the 1929 season Fife designed a new gaff rig to circumvent the undue penalties applied to the Bermudan rig but a late alteration in the rules suddenly allowed a taller mast and the modern rig thus remained. Astra was withdrawn from racing following her owner’s death but the class was joined by a new Nicholson-designed cutter, Candida. The old gaffers still dominated on handicap but amongst the new yachts Cambria led what was in effect a class within a class.

In making his fifth and final challenge for the America’s Cup, Sir Thomas Lipton heralded in the era of the J Class yachts. His Shamrock V outpaced all existing Big Class cutters creating in effect a third class within the Big Class but with this newcomer soon preoccupied with racing in America, Cambria shared honours with the much improved Candida and both dominated Astra now racing under new ownership. However, the British Big Class could not survive in such a fragmented form, the J Class had arrived and finally the older yachts were forced to do what they could to adapt to the new rule or give up. Again King George V led the way converting Britannia to Bermudan rig for the 1931 season but other veterans soon gave up. Of the more recent cutters only the smaller Astra was able to convert successfully.

Sir William Berry had benefited from the advice of some of the most talented and most informed persons in yachting and campaigned his yacht in up to 50 races a year for three years but like many others his efforts fell victim to rule makers that dominated the organisation of the sport. His most enduring contribution was Cambria herself, the supremely beautiful cutter that has never wanted for admirers. By 1934 she had passed into the ownership of Sir Robert McAlpine who renamed her Lillias and on whose death in 1936 she was bought by H. F Giraud.

In Giraud’s ownership the great cutter became a cruiser based in Izmir, Turkey. Well maintained she made regular passages to Pireus for periodic Lloyds Register inspections and though she inevitably fell out of class during World War II Giraud had her reclassified. According to Giraud’s son Turkish Premier Ataturk was a guest on board and she remained in Turkish waters, mainly Cesme, until the early 1960’s. In 1963 she was briefly owned by Belgian, Andre J.M.Verbeck, who soon sold her on to his compatriot Georges Plouvier. In Plouvier’s ownership she began to voyage more extensively and came to the attention of American Michael Sears who acquired her in Marseille in 1972.

Sears embarked on a circumnavigation whose details remain sketchy, a dismasting off the Canaries is rumoured and it was he who re-rigged her as a ketch in 1975. By the time she reached Australian waters, Sears was forced to part company with her. Australian restaurateur Charlie Whitcombe took her over and mothballed her in Townsville near the Great Barrier Reef where she was eventually discovered by yachtsmen Iain Murray, Denis O’Neil and John David.

Cambria’s beauty seduced them, she had survived virtually intact, her deck structures and fittings were still pure Fife and below her original and elegant mahogany interior needed just polish to bring it alive again. In structural terms the mahogany planking on steel frame hull had partially degraded. In Brisbane 1995, after careful steel repairs and some planking renewed, Cambria was strong again and ready to sail. A new deck was laid over the original and with light new systems she was perfectly in keeping with a fast racing yacht.

John David became the sole owner in 2001 and shipped Cambria to Cowes where she was converted back to the Bermudan rig qualifying for the America’s Cup Jubilee. It was the first time she had raced back in Great Britain since the 1930’s. Mr David was very impressed with the classic yachting scene in Europe and decided to enter her in the Mediterranean Classic Yacht Circuit. She has been an active participant since that time and she was sold to continue a similar agenda in May of 2004. Under the new Ownership and responsible direction and supervision of the new captain and his crew Cambria has received a new mast of Spruce Pine and has undergone a careful refit in a specialized yard in Southampton. She has continued racing against the growing number of classic yachts, regularly outperforming her competitors in measured time, if not in terms of rating. Cambria crossing the finish line as the first boat with her challengers far behind has become a common picture in the Mediterranean contests. Her owner and his family enjoy Cambria, cruising the Mediterranean in between the busy racing schedule.

Known Restoration History:

2004 – Southampton – Refit and new mast of Spruce Pine 2001 – Spencer Rigging Limited – Converted back to the Bermudan rig qualifying for the America’s Cup Jubilee. 1994-1995 – Norman R. Wright & Son’s, Brisbane, Queensland – refit 1984 – New Zealand refit 1974 – New Mast – Mainmast 119 ‘8″ Mizzen 75’. Spencer rigging re-rigged to ketch

Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):

Owner/Guardian: (1928–1934) – Sir William Berry Owner/Guardian: (1934–1936) – Robert McAlpine Owner/Guardian: (1936–1962) – Harold Giraud – Port of Chios, Turkey Owner/Guardian: (1962–1964) – Belgian Consulate, Andre’ J.M. Verbeke Owner/Guardian: (1964–1973) – Georges Plouvier – Home port Pireaus Owner/Guardian: (1973–1986) – Michael Sears – American Owner/Guardian: (1986–1995) – Charlie Whitcombe – New Zealander Owner/Guardian: (1995–2001) – Denis O’Neil and John David Owner/Guardian: (2001–2004 ) – John David Owner/Guardian: (2004) – Cambria Yachts Limited

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TUBBS, B.R. (BRITISH, 20TH CENTURY), CA. 1996

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Velsheda, JK7

Launched April 1933

Design: Charles E Nicholson

Image Credit:

Image Credit: 

image credit: Cory Silken

Launched in 1933 for British retail magnate WL Stephenson, Chairman of the Woolworth chain of shops in Britain, Velsheda JK7 was designed by Charles E NIcholson and built in Gosport, England at Camper and Nicholson.  

Although under the Universal Rule the J Class was the de facto America’s Cup class from 1930-1937, Velsheda actually never raced in the America’s Cup. However between 1933 and 1936 she was hugely successful in her native English waters racing against Britannia as well as Cup challengers Endeavour and Shamrock. She is named after the owner’s three daughters Velma, Sheila and Daphne.  

Velsheda embraced the latest design technology of the times. Her aluminium mast was manufactured by bending and riveting plates together, sails were Terylene and winches helped with sail handling, and standing rigging was solid rod.  

Compared with the Js of her time she was 6ft 4in longer than Vanderbilt’s Enterprise and nearly seven feet longer than Velsheda’s Nicholson designed predecessor Shamrock V.  

From 1937 she was laid up in a mud berth in the Hamble before being purchased in 1984 by Terry Brabant who had a basic refit completed which included a steel mast and a basic interior. Velsheda sailed mainly around the south coast of England, occasionally ventured to the Mediterranean and went to the Caribbean once. She was then bought by a Swiss owner who started a refit but was unable to continue to fund the programme. Laid up in Gosport, where she was originally built, she was purchased as a shell in 1996 by the current owner who commissioned a comprehensive two year rebuild which was led by Dykstra Naval Architects at Southampton Yacht Services.

A new aero package was modelled and tested at Southampton University culminating in what was then the tallest carbon rig in the world. Velsheda was relaunched in November 1997 and has remained active and immaculately maintained ever since, racing with considerable success in Europe and the Caribbean. Since 2000 her owner has been a prime mover in re-establishing and promoting the J Class Association and also enjoys cruising extensively.

Maintaining the same core race crew for many years, Velsheda has long been considered the benchmark team in terms of boat handling - and despite inherent disadvantages such as not being able to carry the same rig tension as the modern replicas - she remains very competitive under the J Class rule as well as on the handicap systems which prevail in the Caribbean and the Med. She has won her class in Saint Barths, Antigua, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and Les Voiles de Saint Tropez, all regattas where this most historical original J remains a showstopping attraction.

This owner is one of the most accomplished, expert owner-helms in the fleet and is surrounded by a core team which is a mix of Kiwis and Brits. Veteran Tom Dodson is tactician with Grant Simmer as navigator, recently supported by British Olympian Andy Beadsworth as strategist.

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