5th Cascais J/70 Winter Series - Easter Cup
by Press CNCascais 14 Apr 09:45 PDT
10-12 April 2026
The Clube Naval de Cascais hosted the final stage of J/70 class winter circuit, the 5th Cascais J/70 Winter Series - Easter Cup, from April 10 to 12, 2026.
The event brought together 21 teams from 9 nations, marking the conclusion of a highly competitive winter season in Cascais ahead of the 2026 J/70 World Championship.
Despite challenging weather throughout the weekend, the Race Committee managed to deliver a decisive opening day, which ultimately determined the overall standings.
Day 1 - Late start, high pressure and decisive racing
With no wind in the morning, the fleet remained ashore until late afternoon. At 14:50, the Race Committee sent the fleet afloat, with the first warning signal at 15:50, taking advantage of a late thermal breeze combined with strong current across the racecourse.
Race 1 saw the 2025 and 2023 J/70 european champion Vasco Serpa steering SailCascais take control early, positioning well off the line and managing pressure shifts up the first beat. Diogo Rodrigues Pereira on his boat Navis Portugal secured second, while Tiago Morais on Another Affair closed in third after recovering downwind.
In Race 2, Tiago Morais and Another Affair found consistency in the shifting breeze, reading the current lines effectively to take the win. James Prendergast on USA 1046 delivered a strong second place, while Nuno Espírito Santo Silva helming Bábá finished third after a solid upwind recovery.
Race 3 brought another reshuffle. Nuno Espírito Santo Silva on Bábá executed a clean start and controlled the fleet throughout to take the win. José Paulo Ramada on AP Hotels secured second, while Lucas Karlemo on Solid Fun rounded out the top three.
In Race 4, the final race of the day, Diego Guardamino on Wilco capitalised on a favourable shift to take victory. Tiago Morais and Another Affair maintained their consistency with a second place, while José Piedade on Uniform secured third.
After four races, consistency proved decisive, with Another Affair taking the overall lead.
Standings after Day 1:
1st POR 1282 - Another Affair (Tiago Morais)
2nd POR 1797 - Bábá (Nuno Espírito Santo Silva)
3rd POR 1 - UON (José Caldeira)
Tiago Morais (Another Affair - POR 1282): "It went quite well for us. Good job from the Race Committee to manage four races today, especially with tomorrow's forecast being quite challenging. The racecourse was very tricky — a lot of current and constant shifts. We're happy with how we're improving, especially with the level of the fleet getting higher every series."
Day 2 - Extreme conditions force cancellation
The second day brought severe conditions, with winds reaching 40+ knots. The Race Committee initially attempted to hold racing, scheduling the first start for 09:30, but quickly hoisted AP over H, holding the fleet ashore.
By late morning, with no signs of improvement, racing was abandoned for the day.
Day 3 - strong breeze prevails
The final day was expected to offer ideal sailing conditions if the system eased. However, the wind remained too strong throughout the morning.
With 27 knots sustained and gusts between 30-40 knots, the Race Committee again hoisted AP over A before ultimately cancelling racing for the day.
With no further races completed, the Day 1 results stood as final.
Final Results
1st POR 1282 - Another Affair (Tiago Morais)
2nd POR 1797 - Bábá (Nuno Espírito Santo Silva)
3rd POR 1 - UON (José Caldeira)
Corinthian Division
1st FIN 787 - Solid Fun (Lucas Karlemo)
With the conclusion of the Easter Cup, the overall winner of the Cascais J/70 Winter Series 2025/26 was: POR 8 - SailCascais, helmed by Vasco Serpa
Vasco Serpa (SailCascais - Overall Winner): "The most significant thing is that the level in Portugal keeps going up in the class. Cascais is becoming a venue that attracts many international teams, especially with the Worlds coming. We had a great winter season — now we move into spring and summer, and we hope to keep this momentum and continue attracting strong teams."
Full Results here
Looking Ahead
With the winter series now concluded, attention turns to an intense and highly competitive season ahead in Cascais. The upcoming calendar includes the Spring Cup(Early May), the Portuguese National Championship(Mid June), and the Summer Cup(Early July), all serving as key milestones for teams preparing for the highlight of the season.
These events will play a crucial role in fine-tuning performance ahead of the 2026 J/70 World Championship, set to take place in Cascais this September. The continued growth in fleet size and competitive level further establishes Cascais as one of the premier international venues for high-performance one-design sailing.
Sponsors and Partners
This event was supported by Camara Municipal de Cascais, Visit Cascais, SailCascais, Marina de Cascais and Vista Alegre