J70 Winter Series at Real Club Náutico de Barcelona concludes

After 7 events and 58 races, the HSN Sailing Team, led by Huelva-born Ricardo Terrades, topped the overall standings of the J70 Barcelona Winter Series © Óscar Torveo

This past weekend, Barcelona once again provided the backdrop for a real sailing spectacle. Over the course of three days, the 28 participating boats competed in a wide range of wind conditions.

On Friday, a gentle easterly breeze of around 8 knots blew, which was quite pleasant, with a fair amount of swell and a considerable current that pushed the tacticians to their limits. Noticia, skippered by Luis M. Cabiedes, and HangTen, skippered by Món Cañellas, were the most consistent teams, both securing a 1st and a 2nd place. The provisional bronze went to the Irish boat Wildcard.

The following day, Saturday, the wind shifted further south and increased in strength to 11-12 knots, with flatter seas and a very subtle current. At the head of the fleet, Noticia momentarily snatched the lead from the young Catalans of HangTen, the former on 19 points and the latter on 22. The discard had not yet been applied. And taking the third step on the podium was Active Sailing with Ana Smotrova at the helm of CN Cascais, after being the best boat of the day, winning the first race, a 4th and a 3rd.

On the final day, Sunday dawned sunny with a steady, cool south-westerly wind that started at 16 knots and eventually exceeded 20. It was the day of the comeback for the Canarian HSN Sailing Team, who won the first race and finished fourth in the second and final race of the event. This result saw them climb to third place on the podium, level on points with the Danish team Sassy and the Irish team Wildcard. The overall victory went to HangTen, who finished second and third, beating Noticia by seven points to lift the runners-up trophy.

Winter gives way to spring

This weekend's regatta marked the end of the J70 winter circuit, as after seven monthly events held since September and a total of 58 races sailed over 21 days, the 2025-26 Barcelona Winter Series came to a spectacular close. Coinciding with this seventh series, the first event of the Barcelona Spring Series was held, which will continue monthly until May. Event after event, the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona has once again excelled itself by organising these regattas impeccably and, over the course of these months, attracting teams from a total of 12 countries, who have raised the standard of the competition considerably.

In the overall standings of the Barcelona Winter Series, the Canary Islands-based HSN Sailing Team has emerged as the clear winner, with Javier Padrón at the helm, Luis Martínez Doreste as tactician, Adolfo López on the bow and Ricardo Terrades as sail trimmer. The champions accumulated a total of 177 points and finished on the podium in 6 of the 7 events contested. In second place, with 232 points, finished Noticia, with owner and skipper Luis M. Cabiedes, Alfredo González on the mainsail and strategy, Alberto Padrón on tactics and jib trimmer, and Jon Larrazábal trimming the spinnaker. The bronze in the winter circuit went to Bodega Can Marlés, which racked up a total of 289 points, with a crew that also proved very solid: Alejandro Pérez from at the helm, Ángel Blázquez on trimming, Nahuel Rodríguez on tactics (replaced in some events by Matías Sabaté), and Claudia Carpintero on the bow, completing the crew.

The season continues in Barcelona for the J70s from 24 April to 2 May, and from 15 to 17 May, coinciding with the Conde de Godó Trophy. In June, the Spanish J70 Championship will take place from 5 to 7 June at Port Olimpic, and in July, the European Championship, organised by the RCN de Barcelona, will run from 18 to 25 July.