Youth development platform organises team to compete at J/24 World Championship
by Carina Tomietto 2 Nov 13:17 GMT
4-11 November 2026
Victorian youth crew takes NEXT GEN to the J/24 Worlds © Tidal Media Australia
A volunteer-led rebuild, Epigen's sails and entry support, and a Youth Selection Regatta win have given five young Victorian sailors a place on the world stage.
A J/24 once sitting unused and far from race-ready will compete at the Epigen J/24 World Championship 2026 with a Victorian youth team on board after an extensive volunteer-led rebuild and a successful qualification campaign.
The boat was renamed NEXT GEN to reflect its new purpose: introducing young sailors to the J/24 class and giving them a competitive pathway. Volunteers and experienced J/24 sailors invested long days in transport, repairs, rigging and preparation, including repeated travel between Melbourne and Sydney to return the boat to racing condition.
Warren Slater, Simon Grain, Andy Forbes, Adam Keyes Tilley and Ramzey El Hila were among the sailors and volunteers who helped bring the project together, supported by many others across the J/24 community.
Championship naming sponsor Epigen donated new sails for NEXT GEN and supported the youth team's qualification campaign and World Championship entry. That backing gave the young crew the equipment and opportunity to turn the rebuilt boat into a genuine championship campaign.
Qualification and early results
The Victorian youth team travelled to New South Wales and won the Youth Selection Regatta, securing its place at the Epigen J/24 World Championship 2026. The crew then finished 17th in the 29-boat CTO J/24 Pre-Worlds fleet on Port Phillip, an encouraging result for a young team still building experience in the technical demands of competitive J/24 racing.
The NEXT GEN crew
- Josh Griffith
- Daniel Conacher
- Lulu Di Sciascio
- Felix Duell
- Ethan Hosking
One generation hands the baton to the next
The team's official World Championship shirts were presented by Ramzey El Hila, President of the Victorian J/24 Association and one of the volunteers involved in NEXT GEN's transformation. J/24 Association President Andy Forbes described the handover as team tops passing from one generation of sailors to the next, capturing the purpose of the project.
NEXT GEN now stands as a practical youth-development platform for the class: a restored boat, an emerging crew and a network of experienced sailors willing to share their time and knowledge. Championship racing begins at Sandringham Yacht Club on 7 November.