J-class yacht

The J-Class Velsheda (1933)

The J-Class serves as a rating for large sailing yachts designed between 1930 and 1937. Reserved for a wealthy elite of yachtsmen, these boats were used to compete with the best sailing talents in three races of the America's Cup.

The 1930s

The J-Class is a development of Nathanael Herreshoff's Universal Rule for racing boats. It was established in 1929, two years after it was agreed amongst American yacht clubs that the International Rule would be used for 12-metre class boats and smaller. As a result the Universal Rule was retained for large boats in the United States and the 1930s America's Cup regattas were all raced in the J-Class.

The J-Class Endeavour of 1934, shown here in 1996

Following Sir Thomas Lipton's near success in the 1920 America's Cup, he challenged again for the last time at age 79, in 1929. The challenge drew all the novelties developed in the previous decade on small boats to be ported onto large boats, and pitted British and American yacht design in a technological race. Between 1930 and 1937, the improvements brought to the design of sailboats were numerous and significant:

• the high-aspect bermuda rig replaces the gaff rig on large sailboats
• solid-rod lenticular rigging for shrouds and stays
• luff and foot grooved spars with rail and slides replacing wooden hoops
• multiplication of spreader sets: one set previously (1914), two sets (1930), three sets (1934), four sets (1937)
• multiplication of the number of winches: 23 winches, Enterprise (1930)
• electrical navigational instruments borrowed from aeronautics with repeaters for windvane and anemometer, Whirlwind (1930)
• "Park Avenue" boom (Enterprise, 1930) and "North Circular" boom (Rainbow, 1934) developed to trim mainsail foot
• riveted aluminium mast (4,000 lb (1,800 kg), Duralumin), Enterprise (1930)
• Genoa Jib (Rainbow, 1934) and quadrangular jib (Endeavour, 1934)
• development of nylon parachute (symmetric) spinnakers, including the World's largest at 18,000 sq ft (1,700 m²) on Endeavour II (1936)
• Duralumin wing-mast, Ranger (1937)

All these improvements would not have been possible without the context of the America's Cup. The competition was a bit unfair because the British challengers had to be constructed in the country of the Challenging Yacht Club (a criterion still in use today), and had to sail on their own hull to the venue of the America's Cup (a criterion no longer in use today): The design for such an undertaking required the challenging boat to be more seaworthy than the American boats, whose design was purely for speed in closed waters' regattas. The yachts that remain in existence are all British, and probably log more nautical miles today than they ever did. This would not have been possible if Charles Ernest Nicholson did not obtain unlimited budgets to achieve the quality of build for these yachts. Yacht designer Clinton Hoadley Crane noted in his memoires that "America's Cup racing has never led to good sportsmanship. The attitude of the New York Yacht Club [...] has been more that of a man in the forward position at war who has been ordered to hold his position at all costs – at all costs." In 1930, Thomas Lipton spent $1,000,000 for his Shamrock V challenge when America was facing a stock market crash, but the NYYC still built four cup defenders. The rivalry lead both countries to put a display of true technological demonstrators using the maximum load waterline length authorised by the rule for Endeavour II and Ranger in 1937. This seems to concur with J. P. Morgan's famous quote about yachts: "If you have to ask how much it costs, you cannot afford it."

Most J-Class yachts were scrapped prior or during World War II because steel and lead had become precious to the war effort. In the post-war era, J-Class racing was deemed far too expensive, so no challenge for the America's Cup was placed until 1958 with the smaller third International Rule 12mR class. A revival of the J-Class was triggered in the 1980s when Elizabeth Meyer oversaw the refits of Endeavour and Shamrock V.

List of J-Class yachts

Ten yachts were built to the J-Class rule between 1930 and 1937, six in America and four in Great Britain. All three which survived were designed by Charles Ernest Nicholson: Shamrock V, Endeavour and Velsheda, of which the latter never served for an America's Cup challenge.

Other boats raced in J-Class regattas: The yachts Katoura (Starling Burgess, 1927), Resolute (Nathanael Herreshoff, 1914) and Vanitie (William Gardner, 1914) served as trial horses and most International Rule 23mR yachts were converted to the J-Class, of which three remain in existence: Astra, Cambria and Candida.

The creation of the J-Class Association in 2000 and the launch of a new replica of Ranger in 2004 accelerated the revival of the class. Several replicas and original designs were subsequently built and the association now organises races for the J-Class in Newport, Falmouth and Cowes.

J-Class conversions    did not compete or qualify    Challengers    Defenders    replicas
Launch	Name	Sail			Designer	First ship-owner and Yacht Club	Description
1893	Britannia	1	K1		George Lennox Watson	Prince Albert Edward, RYS	YRA first class rater converted to the J-Class (1931). scuttled (1936)
1907	White Heather II	B1	7	K7	William Fife III	Myles Burton Kennedy, Royal Albert YC	23mR converted to the J-Class (1930). scrapped to cast the lead for Velsheda (1932)
1914	Resolute	J1			Nathanael Greene Herreshoff	Henry Walters syndicate, NYYC	Universal rule 75-footer defender (AC1920). converted to the J-Class (1931). scrapped (1939)
1914	Vanitie	I1			William Gardner	Alexander Smith Cochran, NYYC	Universal rule 75-footer defender trials (AC1920). converted to the J-Class (1931). scrapped (1939)
1928	Astra	K2	JK2		Charles Ernest Nicholson	Sir Adam Mortimer Singer, RYS	23mR converted to the J-Class (1931). refitted (1987)
1928	Cambria	K4			William Fife III	Sir William Berry, RYS	23mR refitted (1995, 2001).re-rated as a J-Class (2003)
1929	Candida	K8			Charles Ernest Nicholson	Hermann Anton Andreae, RSYC	23mR converted to the J-Class (1931). refitted (1989)
1930	Shamrock V	JK3			Charles Ernest Nicholson	Sir Thomas Lipton, RUYC	Unsuccessful challenger (AC1930). refitted by Pendennis shipyard (2001).
1930	Weetamoe	1			Clinton Hoadley Crane	George Nichols syndicate, NYYC	defender trials (AC1930, AC1934). scrapped (1938)
1930	Yankee	2	JUS2		Frank Cabot Paine	John Silsbee Lawrence syndicate, NYYC	defender trials (AC1930, AC1934, AC1937). scrapped (1941)
1930	Whirlwind	3			Lewis Francis Herreshoff	Landon Ketchum Thorne syndicate, NYYC	defender trials (AC1930). scrapped (1935)
1930	Enterprise	4			Starling Burgess	Harold Vanderbilt syndicate, NYYC	successful defender 4:0 (AC1930). scrapped (1935)
1933	Velsheda	JK7			Charles Ernest Nicholson	William Lawrence Stephenson, RYS	restored by Southampton Yacht Services (1997)
1934	Endeavour	JK4			Charles Ernest Nicholson	Sir Thomas Sopwith, RYS	unsuccessful challenger 2:4 (AC1934). restored by Royal Huisman (1989) and refitted by Yachting Developments (2011)
1934	Rainbow	J5	J4		Starling Burgess	Harold Vanderbilt syndicate, NYYC	successful defender 4:2 (AC1934). defender trials (AC1937). scrapped (1940)
1936	Endeavour II	JK6			Charles Ernest Nicholson	Sir Thomas Sopwith, RYS	unsuccessful challenger 0:4 (AC1937). scrapped (1968)
1937	"77C"-Ranger	J5			Starling Burgess & Olin Stephens	Harold Vanderbilt, NYYC	successful defender 4:0 (AC1937). scrapped (1941)
2004	"77C"-Ranger	J5			Starling Burgess & Olin Stephens	John A. Williams, NYYC	replica of "77C"-Ranger (1937)
2009	Hanuman	JK6			Charles Ernest Nicholson	James H. Clark	replica of Endeavour II (1936)
2010	"77F"-Lionheart	JH1			Starling Burgess & Olin Stephens	Harold Goddijn	original design (model "77F", 1937)
2012	Rainbow	JH2			Starling Burgess	Chris Gongriep, ZZV	replica of Rainbow (1934)
building	"J8"	J8			Frank Cabot Paine		original design (proposal"A", 1935)
building	"77B"-Cheveyo	J1			Starling Burgess & Olin Stephens		original design (model "77B", 1937)
building	Britannia	K1			George Lennox Watson	Sigurd Coates	replica as per the original Britannia's 1931 J-Class configuration

Specifications of the J-Class

sailplan of a J-Class yacht

The Universal Rule was established in 1903 by Nathanael Herreshoff and the NYYC to normalise the sailing sport at every size of boat. The J-Class was first developed in 1929 from the Universal Rule and rates boats with the following criteria:

• rating: $65<\frac{0.18\cdot\textbf{L}\cdot\sqrt{Sail~Area}}{\sqrt[3]{Displacement}}\le76$

  where:

  • $\textbf{L}=L.W.L.+.5(q.b.l.-\frac{100-\sqrt{L.W.L.}}{100}\cdot L.W.L.)$
  • $L.W.L.$ is the Load Waterline Length in feet
  • $q.b.l.$ is the quarter-beam length in feet
  • $Sail~Area$ is measured in square feet
  • $Displacement$ is measured in cubic feet
  • 76 ft (23.16 m) $\le L.W.L.<$ 88 ft (26.82 m)

• maximum draught: 15 ft (4.57 m)
• minimum mast weight: unrestricted in 1930; 5,500 lb (2,500 kg) in 1934; 6,400 lb (2,900 kg) for the whole rig in 1937
• standards: Lloyds' A1 scantling rules
• build: aluminium hull forbidden in the 1930s, authorised today
• design: 1930s (replicas are only rated to the J-Class provided their design dates back to the 1930s)
• racing: elapsed time (1930s), Velocity Prediction Program ratings (today)

Launch	Name	Builder	LOA	LWL	Beam	Draught	Displacement	Sail area
1930	Shamrock V	Camper and Nicholsons	119 ft 1 in	81 ft 1 in	20 ft	14 ft 9 in	134 tons	7,540 ft²
1930	Weetamoe	Herreshoff Manufacturing Company	125 ft 9 in	83 ft	20 ft	14 ft 6 in		7,550 ft²
1930	Yankee	George Lawley & Son	126 ft	83 ft	22 ft 6 in	14 ft 6 in	148 tons	7,288 ft²
1930	Whirlwind	George Lawley & Son	139 ft	86 ft	21 ft 9 in	15 ft 6 in	158 tons	7,335 ft²
1930	Enterprise	Herreshoff Manufacturing Company	120 ft 9 in	80 ft	23 ft	14 ft 6 in	128 tons	7,583 ft²
1933	Velsheda	Camper and Nicholsons	127 ft 6 in	83 ft	21 ft 6 in	15 ft
1934	Endeavour	Camper and Nicholsons	129 ft 6 in	83 ft 6 in	22 ft	14 ft 9 in	143 tons	7,651 ft²
1934	Rainbow	Herreshoff Manufacturing Company	127 ft 6 in	82 ft	21 ft	15 ft	141 tons	7,535 ft²
1936	Endeavour II	Camper and Nicholsons	135 ft 6 in	87 ft	21 ft 6 in	15 ft	162 tons	7,543 ft²
1937	Ranger	Bath Iron Works	135 ft	87 ft	21 ft	15 ft	166 tons	7,546 ft²

Rigging problems

The original yachts carried 165 ft (50 m) masts, but they dismasted frequently in conditions other than the lightest of winds. As a consequence, British yachtsman Sir Richard Fairey (Chairman of Fairey Aviation, and owner of Shamrock V at the time) suggested an America's Cup challenge in the smaller K-Class (less expensive with a more manageable rig), but the New York Yacht Club refused the drop in size. In 1937, disaster struck on the delivery trip of the Vanderbilt's defense candidate, Ranger, from Maine to Newport, when rigging parts fell from the mast whilst under tow. Nothing could be done to save the top 30 ft (9.1 m) from breaking off. Fortunately, a new aluminum mast built for the 1934 defender Rainbow (a candidate for the 1937 defense) was loaned to the project and used throughout the Defender selection series until Ranger's mast could be repaired.

The J-Class rule was amended in 1937 to force rigs to weigh a minimum of 6,400 lb. The larger scantling would prevent the frequent dismastings that had been previously observed in the British Big Class seasons.

Further reading

• Harold S. Vanderbilt (1931). Enterprise: The Story of the Defense of the America's Cup in 1930. Charles Scribner's Sons Publishers. ISBN 978-1-178-54209-7. 
• Harold S. Vanderbilt (1939). On the Wind's Highway. Charles Scribner's Sons Publishers. 
• Gary Jobson (2000). An America's Cup Treasury: The Lost Levick Photographs, 1893–1937. Mariner's Museum Press. ISBN 978-0-917376-51-1. 
• François Chevalier; Jacques Taglang (2002). J CLASS. Yachting Heritage Press. ISBN 2-9519121-0-2. 
• Ian Dear (2004). Enterprise to Endeavour: The J-Class Yachts. Adlard Coles Nautical. ISBN 978-0-7136-6905-3. 
• Sparkman & Stephens - J-Class design
• Hoek Design - J-Class replica design
• Gerard Dijkstra & Partners - J-Class refit and replica design
• New York Times - 1989 article about Elizabeth Meyer's refit of Endeavour
• David Glenn (2010-04-20). "Dr. Clark & Mr. de Waal's open letters". Yachting World (IPC Media).  - letter 1 - letter 2 - letter 3
• David Glenn (2010-05). "The Enduring J Class". Superyacht World (IPC Media). 
• youtube.com - videos of J Class yachts
• Classic Boat’s History of the J Class
• Photography gallery of Ranger courtesy of Jean Jarreau
• Photography gallery of J Class Hanuman (Endeavour II) courtesy of Jean Jarreau