Velsheda, JK7

Launched in 1933 for British retail magnate WL Stephenson, Chairman of the Woolworth chain of shops in Britain, Velsheda JK7 was designed by Charles E NIcholson and built in Gosport, England at Camper and Nicholson.  

Although under the Universal Rule the J Class was the de facto America’s Cup class from 1930-1937, Velsheda actually never raced in the America’s Cup. However between 1933 and 1936 she was hugely successful in her native English waters racing against Britannia as well as Cup challengers Endeavour and Shamrock. She is named after the owner’s three daughters Velma, Sheila and Daphne.  

Velsheda embraced the latest design technology of the times. Her aluminium mast was manufactured by bending and riveting plates together, sails were Terylene and winches helped with sail handling, and standing rigging was solid rod.  

Compared with the Js of her time she was 6ft 4in longer than Vanderbilt’s Enterprise and nearly seven feet longer than Velsheda’s Nicholson designed predecessor Shamrock V.  

From 1937 she was laid up in a mud berth in the Hamble before being purchased in 1984 by Terry Brabant who had a basic refit completed which included a steel mast and a basic interior. Velsheda sailed mainly around the south coast of England, occasionally ventured to the Mediterranean and went to the Caribbean once. She was then bought by a Swiss owner who started a refit but was unable to continue to fund the programme. Laid up in Gosport, where she was originally built, she was purchased as a shell in 1996 by the current owner who commissioned a comprehensive two year rebuild which was led by Dykstra Naval Architects at Southampton Yacht Services.

A new aero package was modelled and tested at Southampton University culminating in what was then the tallest carbon rig in the world. Velsheda was relaunched in November 1997 and has remained active and immaculately maintained ever since, racing with considerable success in Europe and the Caribbean. Since 2000 her owner has been a prime mover in re-establishing and promoting the J Class Association and also enjoys cruising extensively.

Maintaining the same core race crew for many years, Velsheda has long been considered the benchmark team in terms of boat handling - and despite inherent disadvantages such as not being able to carry the same rig tension as the modern replicas - she remains very competitive under the J Class rule as well as on the handicap systems which prevail in the Caribbean and the Med. She has won her class in Saint Barths, Antigua, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and Les Voiles de Saint Tropez, all regattas where this most historical original J remains a showstopping attraction.

This owner is one of the most accomplished, expert owner-helms in the fleet and is surrounded by a core team which is a mix of Kiwis and Brits. Veteran Tom Dodson is tactician with Grant Simmer as navigator, recently supported by British Olympian Andy Beadsworth as strategist.

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