Win Cascais.
One hundred and twenty boats, thirty nations, nine days on the Atlantic. Everything on this page exists to put Catapult on top of that scoreboard — and to make Joel a two-time J/70 World Champion, ten years after the first.
One trophy. Ten years apart.
In 2016 Catapult won the J/70 World Championship in San Francisco. In September the same boat name goes to Cascais to do it again — and a second world title is the only outcome this campaign is built for. Everything after Cascais is the road to Annapolis in 2027, where a third would be sailed on home water.
Two new names on the boat
Joel steers, Jeremy calls it. The difference this year is the two sailors who just walked into the middle and the front of the boat — and it is the single biggest reason a second title is on the table.
Why this line-up, and why now
Most programmes arrive at a Worlds hoping to learn the venue. Catapult is arriving with a sailor who grew up on it and an Olympic champion in the middle of the boat. Joel has the title already and knows what winning one costs; Jeremy has one of his own and has already called tactics here.
The pieces are not the problem. Four strong opinions in one very small cockpit over nine days is the problem — which is exactly why the debrief rule further down the page is not decorative.
Four up, no passengers
A J/70 does not care about your programme budget. It cares whether four people can move at the same time without discussing it first. Here is the boat that goes to Cascais.
Joel Ronning
Already a J/70 World Champion, and the only person on the boat who knows exactly what it takes to finish one of these on top. Cascais is the chance to do it twice.
- J/70 World Champion, 2016 — San Francisco
- J/70 U.S. National Champion, 2025 — Lake Minnetonka
- J/70 North American Champion, 2017
- J/70 Midwinter Champion, 2024
Jeremy Wilmot
Already Catapult’s tactician and already a J/70 world champion in his own right, which removes most of the usual arguments before they start. Born into a family where Olympic sailing is roughly the expected career path.
- J/70 World Champion — Palma de Mallorca
- Father Jamie: two-time Olympian, Flying Dutchman
- Brother Nathan: two-time Olympian, 470 gold medallist
- Uncle Hugh Treharne: tactician aboard Australia II, 1983
Will Ryan OAM
Olympic gold medallist and five-time world champion in the 470 — a career spent making a small boat go fast in conditions nobody enjoys. Precisely the skill the Atlantic rewards.
- 470 gold, Tokyo 2020, with Mat Belcher
- 470 silver, Rio 2016
- Five-time 470 World Champion
Bernardo Freitas
Born in Cascais. Sails out of Clube Naval de Cascais. The Worlds is being run by his yacht club, on his water, in his hometown. When Bernardo says the breeze does something odd off the headland in the afternoon, that is not a theory.
- Home club: Clube Naval de Cascais — host of the Worlds
- Olympian, 49er, London 2012 — 8th
- Volvo Ocean Race, Turn the Tide on Plastic
Team chemistry, briefly
Two Australians, one Portuguese, and the owner. Between them: two J/70 world titles, an Olympic gold, five 470 world championships, a Volvo Ocean Race lap, and a Cascais local who has been reading that breeze since he was a kid. On paper it is absurd. On a 22-foot boat with a weight limit it is four people who all still have to get the kite down.
The useful part is not the résumés. Wilmot has already called tactics on this boat. Ryan has spent a decade in a two-person dinghy where communication is the sport. Freitas walks into the venue like it is his kitchen. The chemistry problem most campaigns spend a season solving, this one mostly starts with — which is the whole reason a second title is a realistic target rather than a nice line in a press release.
The remaining risk is the one nobody puts on a bio: four strong opinions, one very small cockpit, nine days. Which is why the debrief rule below is not decorative.
Regatta quick access
Cascais is the target. Everything below it keeps the campaign sharp and the 2027 qualification intact. Tap the card before starting a group-text weather system.
J/70 World Championship
Clube Naval de Cascais. Twelfth Worlds, 120+ boats from 30+ nations. Atlantic swell, real breeze, and a fleet deep enough that a bad first beat does not come back. Win this and Joel has two. The OA’s arrivals guide covers inspection, launching, berthing and trailer parking — read it before booking anything.
J/70 North American Championship
Annapolis Yacht Club — the 2027 Worlds venue, which makes this the cheapest reconnaissance trip on the calendar. Fall Chesapeake: light to medium, current that matters more than the breeze, and shifts that are geographic rather than random.
Davis Island Winter Series #1
Davis Island Yacht Club, 1315 Severn Ave. December Tampa Bay: north-to-east at 8–13, flat water, the occasional front to keep it interesting. Multi-event boat storage on club property needs an advance sign-up and the space is finite.
Davis Island Winter Series #2
If the boat stayed at DIYC after Event #1, this is the lowest-friction weekend of the entire season. Fly in, sail, fly out, tell nobody how easy it was.
Bacardi Winter Series 1
Shake-A-Leg Miami, Biscayne Bay. J/70 and Melges 24. Registration opens September 1, 2026. Catapult has stood on this podium before — the bay owes us nothing, but we know exactly what it does.
Davis Island Winter Series #3
Series finale. Then the calendar tightens: Bacardi Winter Series 2 is twelve days later on the other side of the state. Plan the trailer move off the back of this event, not the morning after it.
Bacardi Winter Series 2
Shake-A-Leg Miami. Same venue as the April finale, which makes this the dress rehearsal. Twelve days after Tampa — see shore support before assuming that is comfortable.
Bacardi Race Week — J/70 Midwinters
Shake-A-Leg Miami, alongside Melges 24, VX One and Snipe. Joel has won this title before. Note the date carefully: the Star Class contests the 100th Bacardi Cup March 7–13, a different week entirely. Book April, not March.
Mixed-Plus U.S. Nationals
St. Petersburg Yacht Club. Optional, and it is Tampa Bay two weeks before the winter series opens — cheap venue time if the boat is already heading south.
Helly Hansen St. Petersburg
Sits squarely between Davis Island #3 and Bacardi Winter Series 2. Worth doing only if boat and crew are already in Florida and the qualification maths says yes. Otherwise it is the weekend that breaks the trailer plan.
Helly Hansen Annapolis
Second look at the Chesapeake. Spring conditions, not the October ones the 2027 Worlds will actually be sailed in — useful, but read the notes with that caveat attached.
2027 J/70 World Championship
Home water, peak fall Chesapeake, and the chance to make it three. USA qualification runs through named events — read the system before deciding which optional regattas to skip this winter.
Master schedule
The big dates without the clutter. The orange marker is the one that decides whether this season worked.
Venues, launching, travel
Docks, hoists, storage windows, and the addresses people ask for while already standing in a parking lot. Rooms and contacts get filled in before each event.
Cascais Worlds
- Venue
- Clube Naval de Cascais, Cascais, Portugal
- Dates
- September 4 – 12, 2026
- Arrivals guide
- The OA’s Early Arrivals & Logistics Guide covers arrival procedure, equipment inspection, launching, berthing, trailer parking and vehicle access.
- Boat
- Ship vs. charter — decision TBD Five weeks out. This drives every other cost and every other deadline.
- Local knowledge
- Bernardo’s home club. Use it. Berth allocation, ramp timing, and where to eat all have a resident answer.
- Travel
- Lisbon (LIS) is the gateway; Cascais is 30–40 minutes out. Flights TBD
- Accommodation
- Housing TBD A 120-boat Worlds fills the Marina de Cascais area early.
Annapolis
- Venue
- Annapolis Yacht Club, 2 Compromise St, Annapolis, MD 21401 · (410) 263-9279
- Dates
- NAs: October 27 – November 1, 2026 · Helly Hansen: April 30 – May 2, 2027
- Registration
- Yachtscoring event 50576
- Why it matters
- 2027 Worlds venue. Log wind, current and geographic shifts as if a championship depended on it, because in twelve months one does.
- Housing / parking
- TBD Annapolis is tight in late October. Book with the entry, not after it.
Davis Island
- Club
- Davis Island Yacht Club, 1315 Severn Ave, Tampa, FL 33606 · (813) 251-1158
- Events
- #1 Dec 4–6 · #2 Jan 8–10 · #3 Feb 5–7
- Launching
- Three hoists on site (1, 2 and 5 ton). The 5-ton and 2-ton are used for regattas, with a large paved area around them.
- Boat storage
- On-property storage for multi-event boats requires advance sign-up and space is limited. Confirm before assuming the boat can stay between events.
- Airport
- Tampa International (TPA), roughly 15 minutes from the club.
- Conditions
- December: north to east, 8–13 kt, about 10 ft depth, 2.5 ft tide. Flat in N/E/W. Cold fronts bring the gusty, shifty days.
- Rooms
- Hotel and room assignments TBD
Miami · Shake-A-Leg
- Venue
- Shake-A-Leg Miami, Coconut Grove — racing on Biscayne Bay
- Events
- WS1: Jan 22–24 · WS2: Feb 19–21 · Race Week: Apr 1–4
- Registration
- Opens September 1, 2026. Enter all three at once if the schedule is committed.
- Event logistics
- Bacardi logistics · Travel page
- Fleet
- J/70 and Melges 24 at the Winter Series. J/70, Melges 24, VX One and Snipe at Race Week.
- Shore side
- Bacardi Happy Hour and sailors’ parties follow racing. Plan crew logistics around them rather than through them.
- Rooms / trailer
- Hotel, trailer parking, and room assignments TBD
Shore support
The tow vehicle, the ramp and the person holding the strap are part of the campaign — not an errand someone runs between flights. A world championship has been lost in a shipping container before.
Trailer and tow basics
- Bearings, tyres and lights checked before every long haul, not at the first gas station.
- Spare wheel, jack and bearing kit travel with the trailer. Always.
- Mast and rigging secured and padded before the truck moves. Rig damage in transit is a lost regatta and a very quiet drive.
- Hull and keel covered for road salt on any northern leg.
- Registration, insurance and the class measurement certificate live in the tow vehicle.
Portugal move · Aug – Sep 2026
- Ship or charter. Decide first — it sets every other cost and deadline, and the clock is at five weeks.
- If shipping: container booking, cradle, customs paperwork and insurance, with genuine lead time.
- Read the Cascais arrivals guide for trailer parking and vehicle access before turning up expecting to improvise.
- Equipment inspection happens on site. Nothing arrives unmeasured.
- Build in buffer days. A container that clears late means sailing for a world title on borrowed gear.
Southbound · Nov 2026
- Annapolis haul-out to Tampa once the NAs finish.
- DIYC storage sign-up confirmed before the trailer leaves Maryland.
- Winter sail inventory staged and labelled.
- Decide now whether the boat stays at DIYC through February or shuttles. Both work. Deciding in January does not.
Tampa to Miami · Feb 2027
- Haul out at DIYC after Winter Series #3 on Feb 7. Rigged at Shake-A-Leg by Feb 19.
- Twelve days. That is the whole window and it is not generous.
- Confirm trailer parking at Shake-A-Leg before rolling in.
- Skipping Helly Hansen St. Pete makes this comfortable. Doing it makes this a schedule. Choose before booking flights.
Keep current
Crew-facing reminders. Short, useful, and updated before every event.
Before travel
- Open the current event card. Confirm dates, venue and first warning signal.
- Confirm flights, housing, ground transport and who is driving what.
- Class membership current, measurement certificate valid. Check now, not at inspection.
- Kit: Cascais in September is not Miami in February. Pack for the venue, not the season.
At the venue
- Weighed, inspected and afloat inside the published window. No exceptions, no negotiations.
- Rig tune logged daily with conditions. A tuning log you trust is worth places on the score sheet.
- Keep the hoist queue moving. The whole fleet is using the same crane and it is not a race.
- If a plan changes, tell the person who actually needs to know.
After racing
- Debrief the same day. Two things that worked, two that did not, no speeches.
- Log venue notes — current, shifts, laylines — while they are still specific rather than nostalgic.
- Flag gear that needs replacing before it becomes a breakage at the next event.
- Send corrections and photos to whoever maintains this page.
Page maintenance
- Before each event: update rooms, contacts, report times and entry status.
- During: keep notes short and useful.
- After: replace every TBD the event resolved.
- Registration deadlines drive everything. Put them on the page the day they are announced.
Notices, rules, references
Clean links to the source documents. When two sources disagree, the Notice of Race wins.