Without doubt, one of the most majestic sights in Barcelona during this fabulous summer of sailing on the Mediterranean, is the sight of the historic J Class fleet that were the cutting-edge design of the America’s Cup from 1930 to 1937. This was pre-Second World War era, and the boats that were built during the period are still regarded as some of the finest and most graceful ever constructed.

In Barcelona this summer for the ‘J Class Barcelona Regatta 2024,’ the Port Vell is honoured to receive three of the finest examples of this class of yacht: Velsheda, Svea and Rainbow – all with their own unique back story. These three yachts are crewed by some of the world’s best sailors and despite the heritage of their design, feature ultra-modern equipment onboard, along with the very latest in sail and component technology.

The genesis of the J Class was the New York Yacht Club’s rating measurement, the ‘Universal Rule’ that would define yacht classes by letters of the alphabet. The letter ‘J’ represented single-masted yachts with a ‘rating’ of between 65 and 76 feet. That was not the length of the boats but a product of the limiting factors of the rule’s equation.