The J Class has its roots in the oldest sporting race in the world, The America's Cup. This International Event was born from an annual race around the Isle of Wight, hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron and called the '100 Guinea Cup'. In 1851, an overseas yacht was allowed to participate for the first time. The yacht "America" was built that year to an innovative new design and had sailed to the Solent in search of racing. Initially excluded from racing against British yachts, she was finally allowed to enter the Round The Island Race for the '100 Guinea Cup'.
With the complex tides and shallow areas of the Solent it was natural for 'America' to hire the services of a Pilot and in due course Robert Underwood was employed to guide them through the very tricky waters off the Island. Although the race programme was advertised as rounding the Nab Buoy and then the Isle of Wight, leaving all to Starboard, this was not what was printed by the RYS on the instruction cards and whilst the four leaders tacked away to round the Nab lightship, Underwood directed "America's" Skipper to press on through the shallow area, missing the Nab Buoy and saving a very considerable distance. Naturally "America" took the lead and held it to win the race, although the nearest British boat closed to just a few minutes behind ‘America’ at the finish.
The Trophy became known as the "America's Cup" and was taken back to the USA. Yachts were able to challenge to win back the cup and a series of larger and larger yachts were designed to compete. Pre-war J Class yachts signified the most opulent stage of maritime racing history, where the towering rigs of the Big Boat Class such as ‘Lulworth’ and ‘Britannia’ dwarfed all other yachts. The late 1920s and 1930s also heralded the beginning of an age when yachts from both sides of the Atlantic were being raced under the same rule - the American Universal Rule.
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