Landsail Tyres return as Title Sponsor for J-Cup 2019
by Gemma Dunn, Key Yachting 11 Oct 2018 15:43 BST
18-20 July 2019
Landsail Tyres J-Cup © Tim Wright
Key Yachting Ltd, the exclusive agent for J Boats in the UK & Ireland, is pleased to announce that J-Cup 2019 will be sponsored by Landsail Tyres for the fifth consecutive year.
"Our relationship with the J-Cup is one of our oldest partnerships," said Peter Cross, Landsail's UK Commercial Manager. "It is a great event that grows every year and the standard is always improving. Britain has a proud sailing heritage going back centuries and to be associated with such a prestigious competition is a real honour for us."
The J-Cup is the only UK regatta exclusively for J Boats, and typically attracts 65 teams, from J/70s to J/122s. The J/109 class hold their National Championships as part of the event, and in 2019 the J/111s will host a European Championship too. Key Yachting are hopeful that the new J/99 will make her J-Cup debut too.
The event will be hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble, which has the capacity to berth all of the competing boats in their excellent Prince Philip Yacht Haven. Competitors will be treated to three days of close racing, with shoreside socials and a big prizegiving party on the final night.
Gemma Dunn, Marketing Director at Key Yachting said "Before we settled on a venue for the next J-Cup, we decided to quiz our owners on their preferred location, and the Solent won hands down. Competitors love the challenging conditions of the tides, whilst the fact that most of the J family resides here is a major appeal. Seeing J Boats in such big numbers reinforces their position as remarkable race boats, for a wide variety of sailors. We are pleased to take the event back to the Royal Southern, a club that understands our crews and always delivers a top-notch regatta."
The J-Cup itself is awarded to the best team of the competition, which is not necessarily the boat with the lowest scoreline. The reigning champion is Paul van Driel & Hans Zwijnenburg's Dutch J/111 Sweeny, who are regulars on the UK summer circuit. Paul stated "We love coming to this event because we get such a warm welcome, everybody is so helpful, and we receive outstanding racing. We love the J-Cup and will definitely be back."
Landsail Tyres' Peter Cross went on to say "This year the J-Cup passed another major milestone with the crowning of its first international winner. Success in the competition relies on teamwork and trust in your crew and - as a brand that is trusted by millions - we are proud to continue to support it. We're really looking forward to seeing what 2019 holds."
J-Cup 2019 takes place 18th – 20th July. You can watch highlights of the 2018 event below: