Only ten J-Class yachts were ever built and they raced for the America's Cup and other trophies in British and American Waters for a mere eight seasons between 1930 and 1937. There have been many yachts that have been larger, and still others that have been faster, but no one sailing class has ever gripped the imagination of the public at large as much as the Js did. They were unique for their combination of size and speed, and they completely dominated the yachting scene on both sides of the Atlantic before their fantastic cost, and the introduction of income tax and the approach of the Second World War banished them for ever.
Astra, Britannia, Shamrock V, Endeavour, Enterprise, Yankee, Rainbow, Ranger...their very names conjure up an era of wealthy amateur owners, of splendour, beauty and expense which has disappeared for ever. In this wonderful tribute Ian Dear tells the story of an eventful decade, and recaptures with a series of superb pictures the elegance of that bygone yachting scene and the whole flavour of its social background. And in the final chapters of this new edition he recounts in words and photographs the tremendous revival of interest in these great yachts, and the restoration of nearly all those which have survived.