Back to the Future: J Class Joins AC75 & AC40 fleets in Barcelona

by Kate Davison 6 Oct 04:01 NZDT

The AC75s of the America’s Cup deliver no shortage of jaw-dropping action. And the AC40s have brought a new appeal, with their unique brand of fast, agile fleet & match racing set to return to centre stage when the first ever Puig Women’s America’s Cup kicks off this Saturday.

There’s no question that high-flying speed machines are the future of sailing. But a different breed of awe-inspiring yacht is also about to make its entrance.

The Golden Age

Long before concepts like hydrofoils, cyclors, or carbon fibre had entered sailing vocabularies, the J Class ruled the waves.

The original America’s Cup class, the J-Class emerged in the 1930s as the definitive racing yacht of its time – representing the pinnacle of design and technology of the era and creating an untouchable legacy in the process.

J-Class World Championship

Taking place from 7-11th of October, the J-Class World Championship coming to Barcelona during the 37th America’s Cup represents a unique occasion.

With the lineage of the world’s oldest international sporting trophy played out before our eyes, it’s a momentous opportunity to celebrate the evolution of the America's Cup, its spirit of innovation & technical progress, and the enduring beauty of its tradition.

Southern Spars and Future Fibres are proud to support all America’s Cup yachts, both classic and new age. Market leaders in high performance composite rigs and rigging for the marine industry, the brands are perhaps more associated with leading-edge technology like AC75s and AC40s than with 1930s designs, but all three contenders in the J-Class World Championship are equipped with the combination of a high-performance rig from Southern Spars and composite rigging from Future Fibres.

Offering unmatched performance for the world’s premier superyacht regattas, Southern Spars and Future Fibres also provide unshakable reliability that extends the legacy of these iconic yachts—helping them perform better than ever for many years to come.

Take a closer look at the three contenders:

JK7 Velsheda

Velsheda, one of the three original J Class yachts to survive from the 1930s, was originally launched in 1933. She wasn't built for the America’s Cup but quickly became a dominant racing yacht in British waters. Over the years, Velsheda has undergone careful restorations to preserve her classic lines while incorporating modern racing technologies like her Southern Spars mast and ECsix multistrand rigging from Future Fibres.

J-KZ1 Rainbow

Rainbow was originally designed and built in the 1930s to challenge for the America's Cup, but after winning the Cup in 1934, she eventually fell out of commission. That year, Rainbow bested the British challenger, Endeavor, which was the closest the British have come to recapturing the Auld Mug since losing it in 1851. It’s certainly fitting that Rainbow should return just as the British are threatening once again.

The modern rebuild of Rainbow was completed in 2012. After being sidelined from competitive racing for nearly a decade, she underwent a significant refit in 2024. Now, she's back and better than ever, equipped with a high-performance Southern Spars mast, and Future Fibres standing rigging including ECsix laterals. Rainbow’s comeback story is one to watch—could there be gold at the end of it?

JS1 Svea

Svea is not only the largest J Class yacht but also the newest, launched in 2017. Her designs were originally drawn up in 1937 for a Swedish America's Cup challenge, but the plans were shelved due to war and only discovered years later, hiding away in a drawer. Svea combines traditional lines with modern racing technology, featuring a notably low Southern Spars boom. She was launched with the 2017 America's Cup J Class Regatta in Bermuda in mind, and has since been prolific in superyacht regattas—so it would be no surprise if she takes the spoils in Barcelona.

Southern Spars and Future Fibres work on the world’s most groundbreaking superyachts, maxis, modern classics, and America’s Cup foilers, but the J Class holds a unique place in the imagination. It is a true joy to power these legendary yachts, and we will relish the chance to see them take to the water in Barcelona.