KYC Regatta Reports

2025-06 CORK Keelboat

In preparation for the 2026 J/80 North Americans and Worlds regattas in July next year, CORK/Sail Kingston in collaboration with the J/80 North American Class Association, hosted a 3-day “test event” regatta in Kingston Canada on June 27-29 employing the Vakaros RaceSense starting system - a first for J/80’s in North America.

All 3 KYC J/80’s (“Joy Ride”, “J Walking” and “Breakaway J”) competed at the event with Club members Hugh McGugan, Melanie Ellison and Andy Roy on “Breakaway J”finishing 3rd, and Andrew JW, Robert & Christina Weguelin, & Jeff Boyd on “J Walking” finishing 4th!

This regatta was the J/80 Fleet’s “test event” for next year’s J/80 North Americans and Worlds regattas and it employed the Vakaros RaceSense system along with a GPS-enabled pin boat, delivering a “no general recall” and “next start quick turnaround” experience throughout the regatta as the sailors gained experience with Vakaros-enabled starting.

The J/80 2026 Worlds are set for July 18-27, 2026, and North American’s July 8-12 2026 - both hosted by CORK and Sail Kingston, and the fleet is looking forward to competitors attending from around the world!

• Hugh McGugan