“The 1930s era saw the birth of the Js - the greatest sailing Class ever created”

Just 10 yachts were constructed, six in the USA and four in England. There were other designs produced but not built. During this period there were never more than four J yachts racing together.

Only three originals survived the Second World War - Shamrock V, Endeavour and Velsheda. They rested and rotted in mud berths, until their rebuild and rebirth as 21st Century racing superyachts.

With the formation of the J Class Association (JCA) in 2000, the possibility existed for replicas from history to be built and race again. New yachts have been launched and some are under construction. Most of these projects are expected to be completed by 2012, creating a fleet of the biggest, finest racing yachts the world has ever seen.

Rainbow is expected to launch in 2011 and could line up against Endeavour, repeating the historic races for the America’s Cup of 1934.

Hanuman (Endeavour 11) could sail against Ranger in the classic repeat of the 1937 America’s Cup. Svea, a Swedish design dating from 1937 was never built but is expected to start construction this year, 73 years after being designed.


The race which took place on 22 August 1851 had a very different outcome from that anticipated .

Of the 15 competing vessels, the only one that was not British was a black schooner flying the flag of the United States, which won the race and took home the prestigious trophy. The winning vessel was the ‘America’ and the Cup was named after it, not after the continent or the country that it represented. The owners of the ‘America’ donated the trophy to the New York Yacht Club in 1857, on condition that the Cup should be “perpetually a Challenge Cup for friendly competition between countries”.