Dime and Crester Deadlocked After Opening Day at J/70 US National Championship

J/70 U.S. National Championship 2026 at Santa Barbara Yacht Club © Hannah Lee Noll

Santa Barbara delivered a classic summer afternoon for the opening day of the 2026 J/70 U.S. National Championship as 37 teams from California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Massachusetts and New York completed four races off Santa Barbara Yacht Club.

The morning marine layer lingered over the course before gradually burning away, revealing sunshine and a building seabreeze that allowed the Race Committee to complete a four-race schedule. The championship also boasts an impressive Corinthian contingent, with roughly two-thirds of the fleet competing in the all-amateur division. After four races, Andrew Loe's Dime and Jeff Janov's Crester are tied atop the standings with 14 points apiece, while Ryan Cox's DJ sits just one point back in third overall and leads the Corinthian division.

The day began in a light six knots of breeze, where Ryan Cox and the DJ crew immediately showed their speed by taking the opening race. David Jannetti's Odd Racing crossed the line in second, followed by Dalton Bergan's Corinthian team aboard Mossy. Race 2 initially got under way before the Race Committee was forced to abandon the start as the breeze became unstable. Following about an hour's delay, racing resumed in 8-9 knots of wind, and Pat Toole's Corinthian crew aboard 3 Big Dogs capitalized on the freshening conditions to earn the victory. Dime finished second, with DJ adding another podium finish in third. By Race 3, the seabreeze had settled into 10-12 knots, producing the most consistent conditions of the afternoon. Andrew Loe and the Dime team found another gear, sailing to the race win over Odd Racing, while Crester finished third to quietly keep pace with the leaders. David Jannetti closed the day with a victory in Race 4 aboard Odd Racing, but Janov's second-place finish aboard Crester proved equally valuable.

Crester's steady 4-5-3-2 scoreline was enough to pull even with Dime, whose 6-2-1-5 finishes left the teams tied at 14 points after the opening day. Just behind them, Cox's DJ (1-3-5-6) keeps close on 15 points while leading the Corinthian standings. The tight margins at the top, combined with the depth of the fleet, set the stage for an exciting weekend.

Results after Day 1: (top three, 4 races)

1. Dime (Andrew Loe, Lee Sackett, Joe Cline, Daniel Kaseler) — 6-2-1-5, 14 points
2. Crester (Jeff Janov, Jordan Janov, Grant Janov, Patrick Wilson) — 4-5-3-2, 14 points
3. DJ (Ryan Cox, RD Burley, Mike Uznis, Stanton Smith) — 1-3-5-6, 15 points

Ryan Cox's DJ leads the Corinthian division after the first day of racing. Four of the top 10 teams are Corinthian. The Championship continues through Sunday.

• Entry List
• Results
• Photos
• Vakaros Tracking