J Class - Americas Cup classics come to town

Bermuda wasn't just about high-performance foiling cats. The Cup's grandparents were also in town. The J-Class. Only 10 were ever built from just 20 designs. And their reign lasted less than a decade. In the 1930s, they were the most technically advanced yachts in the world. For 87 years, they've been the epitome of the America's Cup. Today, little has changed. Although they're beautiful and they weigh 150 tons and have heated towel racks and air conditioning down below, from the deck up, we have the latest technology. Carbon fiber rigs, carbon fiber rigging, carbon fiber sails. Just like the highest tech materials, engineering and design as the airfoils that are being used on board the catamarans. Seven Js arrived in Bermuda, the largest gathering in the history of the class. Originals, replicas and newly built yachts from original designs. This was a unique regatta. On the penultimate day of racing, Hannuman, Ranger and Lionheart were poised in a three-way battle. A grand finale. A race that also promised to provide answers to an 80-year-old debate. In the 1937 America's Cup, Ranger had beaten Endeavour 2 soundly in the last ever J-Class battle. Hannuman is the modern interpretation of Endeavour 2. Lionheart was one of seven rejected Ranger designs from 1936. No one has ever known how she would have fared until now. The battle went all the way to the wire, with Lionheart taking the overall win, followed by Valshada and Hannuman in second and third. History had been rewritten in an exceptional display of Cup heritage.