The J/24 is one of sailing's most successful one-design keelboats, and 38 are about to fill Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay for the 2026 J/24 World Championship.
From 31 October to 11 November 2026, Sandringham Yacht Club (SYC) in Melbourne hosts the Epigen J/24 World Championship, preceded by the J/24 Pre-Worlds Regatta.
Fifty years of one-design racing
Rod Johnstone built the prototype, Ragtime, in his garage in Stonington, Connecticut, launching it in 1976. The first production J/24 followed in 1977, under Johnstone's newly formed company, J/Boats. Fifty years on, it's billed as the world's most popular one-design keelboat: more than 5,500 have been built, with the class represented by fleets around the world.
Strict one-design rules tightly control the boats, keeping the emphasis on crew work rather than spending. The format has kept the class competitive across generations. It's also why the J/24 has featured at the Pan American Games, the World Sailing Games and the Nations Cup.
Spec sheet: what's actually under the deck
| Spec | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Length overall | 7.32m |
| Waterline length | 6.10m |
| Beam | 2.71m |
| Draft | 1.22m |
| Displacement | 1,406kg |
| Ballast | 431kg |
| Upwind sail area | 24.25m² |
| Typical racing crew | Five |
Fractional rig, tiller steering, a fixed fin keel bolted straight to the hull. Down below there's barely room to stand: two settees, a V-berth, a sink, no fixed head, and a portable icebox that doubles as the companionway step. The accommodation reflects the J/24's 1970s roots as a boat that could race hard and still take the family sailing.
Melbourne's moment
The build-up starts with the Pre-Worlds Regatta, 31 October to 1 November, sailed on Port Phillip right off the SYC clubhouse. Registration and measurement follow from 4 to 6 November, an invitation race runs the afternoon of 6 November, then championship racing takes over from 7 to 11 November.
SYC, 111 years old and the self-described premier keelboat club in Victoria, won hosting rights in a unanimous 2023 vote, beating a rival bid to race on a lake high in the Andes in Argentina. Crews are converging from Europe, North America, Asia and Australasia, including reigning world champion Cillian Dickson's Irish crew Headcase, whose boat has already been shipped to Australia for its title defence after winning in Plymouth last September.
Fifty years after Ragtime first hit the water, the J/24 is still racing at world championship level. From 7 November, the next title will be decided on Port Phillip Bay.
