The models of Whirlwind are big by model boat standards.  The hulls were seven and a half feet long with eight foots masts.  The boats carried about 2,500 square inches of sail with a main boom that was three feet long.  The boats weighed about sixty five pounds ready to go in the water.

The class grew with 49 boat owners on the roles by the end of 1976.   That same year, Chuck left Vanguard and moved to new Hampshire.  The model manufacturing business went with him and he began producing models under the Whirlwind Model Yachts banner.  By the end of 1976, there had been more than 180 Whirlwind models sold by both of the manufacturers.

The class rules were sill being formulated in 1976.  Most of the sailing activity at that time was in the Midwest with some growth in the Northeast.   Class activity began to decline by the end of 1976 and by 1977 the class registrations had dwindled to just 14.  John noble left his position as Class Secretary and Whirlwind Model Yacht advertising no longer appears in the AMYA Quarterly news letter.  The class stayed dormant until 1978.

John Garbarino takes over as the J Class Secretary in 1978 and rejuvenates the class.  By this time, most of the sailing activity is taking place in the Northeast with some interest beginning to develop in the West.  John holds the first ACCR in several years at Mystic, CT with five boats participating.  Also at about this time a new model appears, a fiberglass model of the Enterprise.

John also completes and publishes the first class specifications.   These are based on a 1/16 stand off scale model of any of the ten J class yachts that raced for the America's Cup in the 1930s.  The rules allow a two inch extension of the keel and rudder to improve the sailing quality of the model and restrict the mast height to eight feed.  With the advent of a second hull and class rules, the class begins to grow again.

Things progress nicely with the ACCRs being held at various locations around the Northeast until the mid 1980s when again, the class begins to falter.   The interest in the Northeast has dissipated and the center of activity has moved to the West.  New boats have been built in the Reno, San Jose, and San Diego areas.   Most of these are scratch built and are models other than Whirlwind and Enterprise.   They include Ranger, Yankee, Rainbow, and Shamrock V.

In 1988 under Class Secretary Dohn Bronson, the class rules were changed to allow a scale mast not to exceed ten feet above the deck.  The main booms also took on a more scale size, growing to about four feet in length.  Several of the models that were built then used a scale mast and boom that allowed the model to carry up to about 4,200 square inches of sail.  The decks of the boats also began to take on a more scale appearance with wheels, deckhouses, winches, and spinnaker poles.

The class grew slowly through the mid-1980s and into the early 1990s maintaining an ownership level of 25 to 30 registered boat owners.  The ACCRs during this time were rotated between Reno, San Jose, and San Diego.  The J's also inspired two other model manufacturers to produce fiberglass hulls, this time it was Shamrock V by George Rebiero Products in San Jose and Ranger by Jim Terry in Florida.

Be the end of 1995, Dohn was unable to continue as the Class Secretary.  The class again began to decline under the auspices of two caretaker Class Secretaries.  John Hanks took over as the Class Secretary in 1998.  The membership began to respond when articles about the J's once again began to appear in the AMYA newsletter, Model Yachting Magazine.  The class is once again growing with centers of interest located along the east coast as well as on the west coast.  There is also some interest being generated in the Phoenix, Arizona area with one new boat finished and a second one under construction.  It looks like there may be two more going together in Tucson.

This year, 2000, the J Class ACCR was held in Mystic, Connecticut with twelve boats that participated.  This ACCR was the largest gathering of J models since the ACCR held in 1984.  The class in once again growing.

While the J class will never be the largest class in the AMYA owing to the size of the models and the difficulties that the size generates, the class fills a unique niche in the AMYA.  With proper stewardship, the class can continue to remain viable and active.