J/70 Australian Championship
The J/70 is one of the world's most popular one-design sportsboats — a 23-foot keelboat sailed by a small crew. Its Australian Championship is a fast-growing national regatta, contested at clubs around the country.
Photo: Port of San Diego, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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The J/70 Australian Championship is the national title of one of the world's most popular one-design sportsboats — the J/70, a 23-foot keelboat sailed by a small crew. A fast-growing class, its Australian Championship rotates between clubs around the country and delivers exactly what modern sailors want: close, fair, tactical racing in identical boats.
What it is
The championship is a national one-design regatta that moves between clubs, with strong fleets on Sydney Harbour and Port Phillip. The 2024 championship was hosted by the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron on Sydney Harbour, a sign of how the class has taken hold. Because every J/70 is identical, the racing is a pure test of crews — tactics, boat-handling and teamwork — rather than equipment.
What is a J/70?
The J/70 is a 23-foot one-design sportsboat built by J/Boats, sailed by a small crew and designed to be fast, simple and easy to trail and launch. It has become one of the most popular racing keelboats in the world, and it is a natural fit for the club-versus-club SAILING Champions League style of racing. It sits among the accessible performance keelboats in the range of sailboat types.
How to follow
Results and event information are published by the Australian J/70 class association. For anyone considering one-design keelboat racing, the J/70 is one of the easiest and most rewarding ways in — our guide to getting into sailing in Australia covers the first steps, and the sailing terms glossary the language.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the J/70 Australian Championship?
- It is the national title of the J/70 class in Australia — a popular one-design sportsboat. The championship rotates between clubs around the country and has grown quickly with the class; the 2024 championship was hosted by the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron on Sydney Harbour, with a fleet contesting a series of races over several days.
- What is a J/70?
- The J/70 is a 23-foot one-design sportsboat, built by J/Boats, sailed by a small crew and designed to be fast, simple and easy to trail and launch. It has become one of the most popular racing keelboats in the world, valued for close, tactical one-design racing that comes down to crew skill rather than equipment.
- Where is the J/70 Australian Championship held?
- It rotates between clubs, with strong fleets on Sydney Harbour and Port Phillip. Recent championships have been hosted by clubs including the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and Sandringham Yacht Club, reflecting where the class is strongest around the country.
- Why is the J/70 so popular?
- Because it combines accessible, one-design racing with genuine performance. The boats are identical, so racing is a pure test of sailing, and the J/70 is small and simple enough to trail, launch and sail with a small crew. That mix of fairness, performance and practicality has driven its rapid growth worldwide.
More regattas
SAILING Champions League (Australia)
The SAILING Champions League is Australia's club-versus-club national championship — short, sharp stadium-format racing in identical one-design keelboats, with clubs battling through state leagues to a national final and on to the Asia-Pacific and world stage.
Read the guideEtchells Australasian Championship
The Etchells Australasian Championship is a major one-design keelboat regatta held at Mooloolaba, Queensland — the winter championship of the Etchells class, a strict 30-foot one-design with a strong following across Australia.
Read the guideAustralian Yachting Championships
The Australian Yachting Championships is a national keelboat title decided on handicap at a rotating host venue under Australian Sailing each year.
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