Three Australian teams Vamos (Tim Ryan), The Bull (David Doherty) and Joust70 (Rod Warren) competed in the Open World championships held from September 8–12, 2026 in Cascais Portugal.

The 100-boat fleet representing 26 nations completed 10 races with one discard. Challenging conditions throughout the Championship, including strong wind and waves, tested every team’s resilience, stamina and consistency.

The venue delivered all that was expected with wind on every day up to 35 kts and Boat speeds over 20 kts. Vamos achieved the highest heel angle of the regatta at 108° with two crew members on the keel. 

The fleet of 100 boats was stacked with Olympians, America’s Cup and Sail GP sailors with punishing start lines and vigorous top mark rounding where collisions were frequent.  Vamos and Joust70 had two top 10 finishes each but the winners were extremely consistent.It was easy to be deep in the fleet soon after the start.   Vamos finished 19th Joust 27th and the Bull’s campaign was marred by a serious collision putting them out of Racing for two days.

If you're thinking about it, it's a great place to sail and a good target for our youth teams to consider.

Looking ahead we have next year's event in the United States at Annapolis

From the J/70 International Class Association:

Brazil’s Oceanpact–Viking Wins 2026 J/70 World Championship; Spain’s Marnatura Takes Corinthian Title