J Class at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup – Overall

by J Class Association 10 Sep 17:11 EST
5-10 September 2022

A Mistral wind with gusts to over 30 knots thwarted efforts to run racing on the final day of the 2022 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup on Sardinia’s Porto Cervo. Although the spectacular race fleet of nearly 50 Maxi yachts, including four J Class yachts, headed out to a more sheltered area to the south of Porto Cervo and a course was planned, a few minutes before the start sequences began the NW’ly was averaging 25-28kts. With the forecast for the wind only to build, the prudent decision was taken to return the fleet to the harbour.

Winning four races from this week’s five starts, the overall J Class winner is the Swedish flagged Svea. Co-owned and co-skippered by three passionate Swedish sailors Niklas Zennström, Filip Engelbert and Hjalmar Winbladh, with past double Maxi world championship winner Zennström steering this week, Svea triumphed with a margin of seven points.

With no racing today there was no opportunity for what could have been an engaging showdown match for second place between Velsheda and Ranger. Ranger, like Svea, are newcomers to the J Class this season and finish as runners-up to Svea by only a single point whilst the original, 1933 Charles Nicholson designed Velsheda takes third.

After winning early July’s Superyacht Cup Palma on their debut as a…