Celestial and Saltwater Wine have been crowned 2026 Australian Yachting Champions following three days of racing on the Gold Coast as The Yacht Sales Co Sail Paradise 2026 came to a close.
Sam Haynes and the crew of Celestial claimed the Australian Yachting Championship Division 1 title, while Tom Woods and Saltwater Wine secured the Division 2 national championship.
The Australian Yachting Championships were incorporated into Sail Paradise for 2026, bringing national championship racing to the Gold Coast over the King’s Birthday long weekend.
A fleet of 16 yachts contested the TREX Monohull Rating Division, with crews from Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia competing aboard a diverse range of yachts, from high-performance Cape 31s through to larger offshore racing boats.
Celestial takes Division 1
For Haynes and the New South Wales-based Celestial, the victory capped off a competitive three days of racing.
The Cape 31, representing the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, emerged from the regatta as the 2026 Australian Yachting Championship Division 1 winner.
“We’re really excited with the result,” Haynes said.
“Today was a bit of a harder race, but we had a pretty good regatta overall and we’re really happy with our performance and the boat. It’s a great place to sail.”
Saltwater Wine claims Division 2
Fellow New South Wales entry Saltwater Wine secured the Division 2 Australian Championship.
The JPK 1080, skippered by Tom Woods and representing Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club, had not originally planned to contest the championship.
“We stopped in because of some strong wind heading home from Magnetic Island,” Woods said.
“We stopped at Southport Yacht Club for cover, decided to enter Sail Paradise and became the Australian Yachting Champions.”
It proved to be a worthwhile change of plans for the Saltwater Wine crew, who leave the Gold Coast with a national title.
Three days of Gold Coast racing
The Australian Yachting Championships formed part of a varied Sail Paradise program combining tactical windward-leeward racing with passage courses along the Gold Coast coastline.
Day One brought 10–15 knot northerly conditions, with the Rating Division completing three windward-leeward races while the Performance Division and Sports Boats headed south on a passage race towards Mermaid.
The opening day also produced one of the weekend’s more spectacular sights when the 144-foot sailing superyacht SY Encore joined the action offshore to watch the fleet racing against the Gold Coast skyline.
Day Two highlighted the next generation of sailors coming through the sport, with two all-youth Sports Boat crews racing alongside significantly larger yachts.
More than 10 sailors under the age of 21 took on skippering and crewing roles throughout the regatta, gaining experience alongside established Australian yacht racing campaigns.
2026 Australian Yachting Champions
Division 1
Celestial – Sam Haynes | Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, NSW
Division 2
Saltwater Wine – Tom Woods | Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club, NSW
The championship victories brought a major edition of Sail Paradise to a close, combining national-level competition, passage racing and emerging youth sailors against the backdrop of the Gold Coast coastline.
The Yacht Sales Co Sail Paradise 2026 concluded with the final presentation at Southport Yacht Club.
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