Dazzler (J/41 One Tonner)

Dazzler was one of about twenty J/41's that were built by J/Boats between 1984 and 1987, and were notable campaigners in the IOR scene in the US over that period. The J/41, designed by Rod Johnstone, was designed to rate as a One Tonner (30.5ft IOR), with a different shape to many of its peers, with a notable rocker, fine ends and low wetted surface, giving it an edge in light airs.

The design first came to prominence in the 1984 SORC, when Dazzler finished third in Class E and third overall, while a fractional-rigged version Alethea finished fourth in class and fifth overall (Alethea and Dazzler were both built by Tillotson and Pearson in a bare nine weeks). The masthead design carried a bit more ballast than the fractional variation, while Alethea carried a larger headsail and smaller mainsail than other fractionally rigged boats of the size.

Dazzler had some interesting duels with Diva during the SORC, which was one of the first of the new breed of fractional lighter displacement yachts designed by Joubert/Nivelt. Dazzler was sailed by Bill Shore and Perry Harris, and breezed home in the heavily weighted Lauderdale race ahead of Diva, Allegiance (an Alan Andrews-designed One Tonner) and Alethea.  

Dazzler during the 1984 SORC (photo Historiedeshalfs)

Dazzler held onto her overall lead for two more races until Diva and Allegiance had a memorable first and second in the Miami-Nassau race, separated by just 3 seconds. 

The J/41 hull profile (above) and deck and internal arrangement plan (below)

The J/41's were also noted for their structural integrity, when five of them survived the rough 1984 Bermuda Race, and both Dazzler and Alethea survived the whole SORC that year without failure. Construction nevertheless pushed the limits of the time, utilising vacuum bagged unidirectional aircraft-grade Baltek Contourkote sandwich and 1/8th inch unidirectional carbon fibre skins for increased rigidity and impact resistance in critical areas.

Dazzler sails upwind in light airs during the 1984 SORC

The J/41's followed up their 1984 SORC success by taking the first three places in the  USYRU North American One Ton Championships, with Charlie Scott's Smiles winning, followed by Road Warrior, owned and skippered by America's Cup yachtsman John Kolius, with Dazzler taking third. Smiles went on to win that years' Onion Patch Trophy, and then went on to win the 1985 SORC (Smiles will feature in a future article).

Leeward mark action aboard Dazzler (photo Robert Hagan/Sea Spray)

The J/41 performance assessment at the time commented that "fractional designs (including J/41s so rigged) have the edge when jib reaching and occasionally downwind under 5 kts TWS (when gybing angles are tighter downwind), but the J/41 is unbeatable upwind over 10 kts AWS or downwind over 12 kts TWS. The exceptions are in conditions over 25 kts AWS upwind where small rig Farr 40s excel or in some marginal surfing/wave conditions when close spinnaker reaching".  

Dazzler during the 1984 SORC (photo Bob Fisher | Facebook)

The J/41's were not widely regarded as the fastest boats on the track, but were marketed at the time as being easier to sail than their fractional competition. Consistency was emphasised, with higher average speeds across the wind range which was considered to compare favourably to the "moments of blinding speed interspersed with unbelievably slows" of their competition. 

Dazzler during the 1984 SORC (photo Larry Moran)

Despite their initial success, the J/41's represented the end of the competitive masthead boats at the One Ton level, and after the 1985 season were considered something of an anachronism in the emerging trend towards fractional rigs in top level racing at the time.

Dazzler winning the 1985 'Super Mac' (photo Larry Moran)

Article updated April 2026

Diva (Joubert/Nivelt One Tonner)

Diva was the standout new boat in the 1983 Admiral's Cup. The yacht, owned by Patrick Faure and Bernard Moureau, represented a continuation and extension of the French approach to Half Ton designs of the period, combining moderate rated length (33.77ft) with relatively low displacement (12,302lb) combined with a fractional rig with clean hull lines that ended in relatively undistorted stern sections. Diva was designed by the French pairing of Bernard Nivelt and Michel Joubert to rate as a One Tonner (30.5ft IOR), close to the minimum size allowed for the Admiral's Cup. She was designed to excel in light airs with a large sail plan, supported on a Franspar mast and flying North sails from the San Diego loft. 

Diva was constructed in Kevlar foam with carbon fibre longitudinal stringers - building commenced in February 1983 and she was hurriedly launched on 1 May for the French trials - she missed the first race but won all the others convincingly, sailed superbly by Yves Pajot and a crew of Half Ton sailors, along with designer Nivelt. 

Diva was joined for the French Admiral's Cup team by another Joubert/Nivelt design, Passion (32.0ft IOR), which had been built for the cancelled Two Ton Cup at Le Havre. A Frers 41 Ossian (32.4ft IOR), the ex-Mea Culpa, completed the French lineup. Diva started the series strongly, with a second and fifth in the first two races. Her series looked to have ended in disaster when she ran over a mooring off Ryde Sands, off Lee-on-Solent, early in the Channel Race, and the mooring cable became firmly lodged between the keel and rudder. The light airs that plagued the race benefited the minimum raters, however, and once the Diva crew had escaped from their entanglement the unsettled wind allowed Diva to work up to fifth place by the Nab Tower, although she slipped to eighth at the finish.

Diva leads some bigger yachts on her way to second place in the first race of the 1983 Admiral's Cup

The Diva crew work to extricate themselves from a mooring cable soon after the start of the Channel Race (and another view below, by Guy Gurney)

Stern view of the 1983 Admiral's Cup top scorer, Diva

A feature of the Fastnet race finale was the match race between the top placed Diva and the Castro design One Tonner Justine IV, skippered by Harold Cudmore for the Irish team. Justine IV led Diva most of the way to Fastnet Rock, but Diva slipped ahead to round minutes ahead. On the run home when the wind increased to 30 knots Justine IV lost track of Diva's navigation lights and Pajot's crew arrived home an hour ahead of the Irish. Cudmore successfully protested Diva for not showing their navigation lights, and a 5% penalty was awarded, but she was still the top boat of the series.  

Unfortunately Diva's stand out performance was not matched by her team-mates who were completely outclassed, while a crew dispute saw Passion not race the Fastnet, and France finished the series in a lowly 12th place (of 15 teams).

Diva during the 1984 SORC

Diva was bought by the German team manager Berend Bielken in August 1983. A month later the new crew broke the rig, and it wasn't until the end of the year that they could get in some good sailing days in the North Sea before shipping the boat to Florida to contest the 1984 SORC. 1984 was the year of the new One Tonners (sailing in Class E) and Diva came up against the likes of Alan Andrew's Allegiance, Ted Irwin's Razzle Dazzle and the J41 Dazzler. 

Diva holding off Razzle Dazzle during the 1984 SORC

Diva began a late run in the fourth race, coming through in the last three races with results of 1/2/2 in class, and 2/6/14 in fleet, to be the first European yacht to win the coveted Governor's Cup for top yacht overall. She finished second in class behind Allegiance, and was the first fractionally rigged yacht to win the SORC.

Diva - overall winner of the 1984 SORC, and second in Class E (photo Larry Moran)

Diva went on to race in the 1984 One Ton Cup sailed off the South Brittany coast in France, where she finished tenth overall with placings of 17/5/8/12/10.

Images of Diva from the 1984 One Ton Cup 

Diva - circa mid-1980s