Why the next Blur is a J/99

I’ve been getting lots of questions about why we chose the J/99 as our next boat.

Some of you were expecting a JPK 11.80, M.A.T. 1220, or maybe a Class 40. Something bigger, faster, or more radical?

But most of you know we’re pretty deliberate on what we do. It’s one thing to get a sweet ride, and another to get the right tool for the job. So the considerations this time were;

• Focus on offshore doublehanded racing (Baltic 600, Fastnet Race, and similar races). We’ll still do fully crewed racing, but any optimization is for shorthanded racing.
• A versatile 32-36 design with proven results under IRC. This is where we see the closest amateur racing both locally and in UK/France.
• It needs to work in light air and we should be able to race it to its rating in most conditions. This was an issue with the J/111 where we needed to take the foot off the gas way too often. Also an issue with some modern sporty designs, where only the pros can get 100% out of the package.
• Short ramp-up, where we could build on experience and support from other teams. It’s always tempting to do something custom, but it can take years to get up to speed.
• Liveable. One surprise with the J/111 was how much we enjoyed the transports between races, and we wanted something that would work in that regard. An added benefit is probably a better second-hand value compared to a stripped out race boat.

“It’s not an offshore boat”

This was one of the comments on our Facebook page. I’m not sure if the teams below got the memo.

• J/99 Disko Trooper winning Rolex Sydney Hobart, Sydney to Gold Coast Race, and a few other serious offshore races down under.
• J/99 Axesail winning the 513 nm Drheam Cup with many of the best doublehanded teams on the line (including SF 3600 Bellino who won the 2024 RORC Season’s Point Championship).
• J/99 Axesail leading at Fastnet Rock after the brutal first half of Fastnet Race 2023 (finished 5th in front of NM35 Lann Ael 3 and SF3300 Red Ruby – considered two of the best doublehanded boats in the last few years).
• J/99 Snapshot winning Round Ireland Yacht Race.
• J/99 Calypso being 2nd in the doublehanded class in Rolex Middle Sea Race 2023 (5th overall).
• J/99 Dragon’s Fire being 2nd in class in the 2024 Newport Bermuda Race.

We’ve also seen Agent 99, Further West, J Lance, Juice, Jump, Jupiter, Just Ply, Whimjy, and others delivering great results in coastal races.

Community

One of the most fun (and frustrating) regattas we did with the J/111 was Spi Ouest in 2012. To get into a brand new boat and race against identical boats was a steep learning curve, and probably the best way to get up to speed. Also, there’s nothing wrong with La Trinité Sur Mer in April 🥐☀️🥂

Now there’s a chance we might do it all over again:

Configuration

So, what’s special about our new boat? Compared to the “standard” J/99 there are a few major things (most of these are available as options from J/boats):

• Flat 2.10 “IRC keel”
• AG+ carbon mast & boom
• B&G H5000 Hercules CPU, Nemesis 9 on the mast, and Graphic Display in the nav station
• B&G H5000 Autopilot with Jefa drive unit

Sail inventory:

• Main, J1, J2 och J2.5 (heavy weather jib) Incidence D4 Black, aramid/carbon
• J4 in polyester
• S2 on spinnaker pole, 93 m²
• A3 on sprit, 71 m² 
• 75% code, 46 m²

Interior

The J/99 is pretty straight forward below, and should work well for transports or weekend training sessions.

Compared to the J/111 the forepeak is much smaller, but it’s wider ands roomier further aft.

Rating

• IRC = 1.017
• ORC = 549.4 (CDL: 9.137)