When one race changed everything

Thirty-eight teams from 10 nations are entered for the 2026 J/24 World Championship on November 7-11 in Melbourne, Australia. But for Victorian skipper Warren Campbell, his campaign has been a race against the clock to reach the world championship start line.

When Campbell bought J/24 AUS 4466 in November 2025, the purpose was to build a serious campaign for the Worlds. The team planned to train hard, arrive prepared, and push for a strong result. Then one race changed the campaign.

Their boat Gatsby was racing with the J/24 fleet on Port Phillip Bay when the conditions turned severe and gusts reached more than 35 knots. The boat capsized and did not right itself. Water entered the hull and the spinnaker remained caught below the surface, adding to the force holding the boat down.

Everyone came off the boat safely. Gatsby was taken under tow, but the hull sank during the tow. The crew marked the position so a salvage team could return. By the time the search began, the boat had moved about 350 meters from the marked spot.

Gatsby remained underwater for about a week before it was found and raised. A boat bought for a World Championship campaign had become a salvage and repair project, with the event drawing closer.

The months that followed were defined by damage assessments, repair decisions, and an insurance process that was resolved only weeks before the championship.

Even so, the campaign continued. Campbell had bought Gatsby for this event and the crew remained committed to getting the boat back. The mast went up in mid-October, leaving only a handful of training days for the crew before the championship begins.

“The crew was still keen to go ahead and pull it all together, so we did,” Campbell said.

However, their original ambitions have been tempered by circumstance. A result once measured against the top ten must now be considered alongside the time lost underwater, in the repair shed, and waiting for decisions.

Reaching the start line does not remove their competitive instincts, but it changes the context in which their performance should be judged. “We were all competitive beasts, so I am sure that will present itself on the course somewhere,” Campbell said.

Details: https://j24worlds2026.com/