The America's Cup J-Class racing yacht: in a class of its own and making a comeback

QUOTE-UNQUOTE: So what’s the attraction of the J-Class? Why would anyone spend such vast sums on a 135ft yacht that only sleeps 10 guests, costs more than £1m a year to maintain and is an anachronism before it’s even been launched? Ronald de Waal, the owner of Dutch fashion company WE Fashion, bought one of the original 1930s boats, Velsheda, as a bare hull in 1996 and had her turned into a modern superyacht by designer Dykstra Naval Architects."The appeal to me is being part of a piece of history, and of course sailing a J is a thrilling experience," he says. "It’s the combination of a very comfortable cruising boat and a highly demanding race boat. The racing adds a whole other dimension – it’s what these boats were built for. Racing with 35-40 people on a boat – family, close friends and race crew – is a unique and great experience. It’s what makes us all tick." –The Telegraph newspaper (UK) in their lead article today in the sports section on the J-Class and more generally the history of the America's Cup, a MUST READ for AC fans. Today's Telegraph has a number of other articles previewing AC35. The link above will get you to all of them.

SVEA, the newest J-Class yacht launched three months ago and owned by St. Francis YC member Tom Siebel (USA). SVEA will be in Bermuda and racing in the J-Class regatta with six other J's next month.