After a capsize in gusts of more than 35 knots and a week underwater, Warren Campbell's rebuilt J/24 will reach its home World Championship after only a handful of training days together.

When Warren Campbell bought J/24 AUS 4466 in November 2025, the purpose was clear: build a serious campaign for the Epigen J/24 World Championship 2026 in Melbourne and see it through to the final race. He qualified for the championship in January 2026 and began building the campaign around Gatsby.

The idea had been gathering momentum for about a year. Campbell wanted to sail another Worlds with Grant Willmott, the sailor who introduced him to the J/24 class in his early twenties. Brendan Lee came aboard as skipper, bringing two Australian J/24 titles. Rowan Allen and Tao Hsu completed the five-person Gatsby team.

A campaign with experience to draw on

Three of the five have been sailing since childhood and are now in their late fifties. The other two came to the sport later and bring about 15 years of experience each. Across the five-person crew, that adds up to more than 150 years on the water. The crew has also made more than 15 World Championship appearances across several classes.

That experience gave Gatsby reason to aim high. The team planned to train hard, arrive prepared and push for a strong result at a home World Championship. Then one race changed the campaign.

The day Gatsby disappeared

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 metres 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.

Rebuilding against the clock

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.

Experience without preparation

A crew can carry decades of knowledge and still need time together. Roles have to become instinctive, communication must be brief and understood, and boat handling depends on five people anticipating the same next move. Gatsby's sailors know those demands from other campaigns, but they have had almost no opportunity to build those habits as this combination on this boat.

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.

A campaign already tested

For Campbell, the recovery is inseparable from ownership. He chose the boat, committed it to the Worlds and brought the team together. When Gatsby sank, that commitment became a decision to keep going through salvage, repairs and uncertainty rather than let the campaign end in the bay.

For the crew, the championship will be both a competition and the first real test of the rebuilt campaign. They intend to race hard, enjoy the people around them and make the most of a home Worlds. Gatsby will arrive at the start line after only a handful of training days together. Championship racing begins at Sandringham Yacht Club on 7 November.

WORDS: Carina Tomietto