Spain’s Luís Bugallo has taken the overall lead at the J/70 World Championship after a demanding day of racing off Cascais, where a strong northerly breeze and building Atlantic swell put boat handling, speed and crew work to the test. At the helm of Marnatura, Bugallo delivered one of the most consistent performances of the day. A fifth-place finish in Race 3 followed by a third in Race 4 was enough to move the Spanish team to the top of the leaderboard with 20 points.
Luis Bugallo said, “It was a pretty windy day and definitely a good one for us. We didn’t have our best starts, but we managed to recover well and put ourselves in strong positions. In the last race, especially, we had a really fast first downwind, and that helped us get right back into the fight. We made a big bet on preparing for these conditions, so now the goal is simply to enjoy the week and see what comes. The J/70 is an incredible Class to race in — you’re competing against some of the best sailors in the world, and with a fleet of this size, the level is extremely high. It’s great to be part of it.”
Brazil’s Haroldo Solberg, who started the day in the overall lead, slipped to second after posting a 17th and a fourth. He now sits on 31 points. Fellow Brazilian Bruno Bethlem completes the provisional podium in third, with 38 points after four races. Clube Naval de Cascais sailor Diogo Pereira moved up to fourth overall after two solid finishes, sixth and eighth, in the day’s races. Close behind is reigning Portuguese National Champion Tiago Morais, now fifth overall. After a 20 in the opening race of the day, Morais bounced back strongly in the second, taking an impressive second-place finish to keep his campaign on track.
Racing at the J/70 World Championship continues on Thursday with two more races scheduled. The forecast suggests another testing day off Cascais, with strong breeze and Atlantic swell expected to once again challenge the 100-boat fleet.
Photo: Neuza Aires Pereira
Event Website / Results → Cascais 2026 J70 World Championship
