Who will be 44th J/24 World Champion?

The J/24 was the first J/Boats product in 1976, and it was a race boat. This was the cruiser-racer era, and its popularity established an elite one design class. The first World Championship was in 1981, with US Hall of Famers John Kolius, Ed Baird, Dave Curtis, Ken Read, and John Kostecki among the early winners.

While the title has lost some of its shine, it remains a significant challenge that will be hotly pursued when 38 teams from 10 countries vie for the 2026 title on November 7-11 in Victoria, Australia.

Ireland’s Headcase, helmed by Cillian Dickson, returns as defending champion and is joined by runner-up Tony Parker’s Bangor Packet of the United States and Kohei Ichikawa’s Gekko of Japan that took third in 2025.

In spring, Port Phillip can bring variable winds, afternoon sea breezes and choppy water, particularly in southerly conditions. Crews will need to adapt their boat handling and tactical choices as the bay changes across the scheduled ten-race series.

Editor’s note: This is an old rant regarding unique websites for their event. This event is using j24worlds2026.com which will likely not be renewed, thus losing event history. We suggest the J/24 Class follow the Star Class example and secure a web address – worlds.starchampionships.org – that can be used in perpetuity.