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J/120 Polar Diagram

Racer/Cruiser

Length Overall
12.24m
Max Speed
10.7 kts
at 135° TWA in 20 kts wind
Best Upwind VMG
4.9 kts
at 52° TWA in 20 kts wind
Best Downwind VMG
8.2 kts
at 150° TWA in 20 kts wind

Polar Diagram

6 knots TWS
12 knots TWS
20 knots TWS

Polar diagram showing boat speed (knots) at different true wind angles. 0° is wind from ahead (top); starboard tack runs 0–180° and port tack is shown as 0 to -180°. Wind speeds: 6, 12, 20 knots.

Interactive Polar Tool

Enter your wind conditions to find target boat speed or optimal sailing angle

Enter your current wind conditions and angle to find your target boat speed

Range: 6 - 20 kts

Range: 52° - 150°

See How You Actually Perform

You have your J/120 target speeds. Now discover how your real sailing compares. ChartedSails analyzes your GPS data against these polars and shows you exactly where you're leaving speed on the table.

Analyze Your J/120 Performance →

Target Speed Table

True Wind AngleBoat Speed (kts)Point of Sail
52°5.77Close reach
60°6.09Close reach
75°6.29Close reach
90°6.22Beam reach
110°6.22Broad reach
120°6.11Broad reach
135°5.43Broad reach
150°4.58Running / Downwind

Target boat speeds for J/120 at 6 knots true wind speed. Select different wind speeds above to see how targets change.

Source

ORC VPP — median of 54 certificates (jieter/orc-data)

View source link ↗

Similar boats

Other sailboats with comparable length and class — useful for cross-fleet target speed comparisons.

About the J/120

The J/120 is a racer/cruiser with a length overall of 12.24 meters. The polar data on this page is the median Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) output across 54 ORC certificates for this model — a real-world fleet average rather than a single boat's rating.

The polar diagram shows target boat speeds ranging from 4.6 knots to 10.7 knots across various wind conditions and angles. Use these targets to benchmark your upwind beat angle and downwind run angle, then check how your real sailing compares.