J/70 North American Championship 2026 at Annapolis Yacht Club - Day 2
by Julie & Christopher Howell 31 Oct 00:08 GMT
October 29 - November 1, 2026
J/70 North American Championship Day 2 © Hannah Lee Noll
A picture-perfect Chesapeake Bay day greeted the 54 teams competing in the J/70 North American Championship hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club. Following Thursday's light-air opening with three races, Friday delivered a fresh change of pace, with bright sunshine, warm temperatures and a steady 8-14 knot breeze providing ideal conditions for another three races. With six races now completed and the discard coming into play, the leaderboard has begun to take shape.
Brazil's Haroldo Solberg and his World-Champion OceanPact team moved into the overall lead with 24 points, posting an impressive 1-7-11-1-4 series after discarding a 22nd-place finish. Just one point behind is James Golden's local Sagara (USA) with 25 points, while Al Minella's Level5 (USA) moved into third with 36 points.
The Corinthian division, featuring more than 20 teams, continues to be led by Corinthian World Champion Alec Cutler's Hedgehog (BER). Ryan Cox's DJ and Adam Burns' What? NoooWaaay! are next in the standings. In the Mixed-Plus division, Sandy Askew's Tangerine holds the lead.
Arthur Edwards' Wicked (USA) opened the day with a Race 4 victory, followed by Golden's Sagara and Sweden's Filip Engelbert aboard Elvis. Solberg's OceanPact took Race 5 honors, ahead of Level5 and Brazil's Bruno Bethlem on Aretê. Brian Keane's Savasana (USA) closed out the day with a Race 6 win, followed by Bruce Golison's Midlife Crisis (USA) and Sagara.
The Championship has brought together 54 teams representing seven countries and 15 U.S. states, making for a truly international fleet. The venue also offers a preview of the conditions and setting for the 2027 J/70 World Championship to be hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club.
AYC continued to deliver its trademark hospitality, welcoming competitors ashore after a great day on the water. Friday's activities were sponsored by North Sails, which hosted an after-race debrief, giving teams an opportunity to share insights from the course. Racing continues through Sunday, with Saturday's first warning signal moved up one hour as organizers aim to complete another three races.