One of the newest one-design keelboats, the J/109 is a 35-foot racer-cruiser that features a retractable carbon fiber sprit and a lot of sail, including an asymmetric spinnaker. The boat was launched in 2001 as the first J/Boat to be built in Europe. As with other J/Boats, the main rigging is handled from the cockpit and the mainsail from near the wheel. Overlapping or non-overlapping headsails can be used. The boat is also characterized by its comfortable cruising accommodations and is the first boat with standing room in the interior that is able to compete under the most frequently used European handicap rules. Fleet number 1 was organized in Seattle but was quickly followed by nine other fleets over the U.S. coastline and the Great Lakes, as well as fleets in England/Ireland, the Low Countries, and France.