Ready to roll: J/70 UK Grand Slam Series begins
by Ruby Dent, J/70 UK Class 23 Apr 07:34 BST
25-26 April 2026
UK J70 Class racing © James Tomlinson
Grand Slam 1, 24th-25th April, hosted by the Royal Thames Yacht Club, gets the UK J/70 season under way and marks the start of the class's seven-event Grand Slam series. More than 20 J/70s will set out from the Hamble River and Cowes, meeting on the Hill Head plateau for the first racing of the season.
Some teams will have already shaken off the rust, in the two class training events earlier this year. But this will be the first racing since October. For a few teams, it will be their first time lining up on a J/70 startline, with a fresh influx of new entries this season as momentum continues to build across the fleet.
There is no shortage of known names. Ali Hall's Calypso returns as defending Grand Slam champion. Jelvis, the current UK national champion, will also be in the mix, along with DSP, last season's Corinthian winners. Keep an eye as well on Max Clapp's Jeepster, Sardonyx, with William Edwards and Ian Dobson, and Simon Perry's Jiraffe, now into their second season.
This weekend also marks the first UK event using Vakaros Racesense. The technology has already proved itself on the international circuit, and now the UK fleet gets its first run with it. Quicker turnarounds, cleaner starts, less waiting around. Racing comes first, but no one will complain about a bit more time back in the bar afterwards.
The UK J/70 Class continues to be supported by Rooster and Ocean Rope.
Racing begins Saturday.
The season starts here.
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