Father and son steer Sagara to J/70 title on home water

2 min read

A father-and-son crew has claimed one of sailing's more heartwarming home-water victories, with James Golden steering Sagara to the 2026 J/70 North American Championship title in Annapolis, Maryland, sailing alongside his father Jim Golden, Willem van Waay and Steve Hunt.

The Annapolis Yacht Club hosted the four-day Halloween weekend regatta, drawing 54 boats from seven countries: the USA, Brazil, Spain, Sweden, Great Britain, Bermuda and Canada. Eight races were completed across the first three days before the final day was cancelled when the high-pressure system that had delivered near-perfect Chesapeake Bay sailing simply ran out of puff.

For the 24-year-old Golden, it was a genuine homecoming. He grew up racing on the Chesapeake before shifting to San Diego last year, where he linked up with van Waay and Hunt. His father completed the new-look crew.

"It's good to be home, being fed by my mom, racing with my dad, being with my dog," Golden said. "It all came together beautifully."

Sagara trailed Brazil's Haroldo Solberg and his reigning World Champion crew on Oceanpact by a single point heading into Saturday. Then everything clicked. A seventh and a race win on the final day lifted Sagara to the top with 33 points, two clear of Oceanpact. Sweden's Per Roman on Garm rounded out the podium on 45.

"We got a lot better each day with our boat handling," Golden said. "We made a lot of small changes to gain a little boat speed. I think that really helped us on the third day of the regatta."

Annapolis Yacht Club members swept the minor honours too. Alec Cutler's Hedgehog, crewed by Keith Davids, Brad Rodi and Charles "Pooch" Pucciariello, all former US Naval Academy sailors, took out the Corinthian title, backing up Cutler's back-to-back Corinthian World Championships in 2025 and 2026. Sandy Askew's Tangerine won both the Mixed-Plus and One-Pro divisions, sailing with her daughter Olivia Askew, Robert Greenhalgh, Drew Barnes and Hannah Morris. Jennifer Hutchinson, racing alongside her husband, America's Cup veteran Terry Hutchinson, took Top Woman Helm honours aboard Ellie.

Annapolis Yacht Club will stage the J/70 World Championship from 23 to 30 October 2027, and this regatta gave competitors a preview of the racecourse, hospitality and organisation awaiting them next year.