The first Series of the Barcelona Winter Series J/70, held September 19-21 under the organization of the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, started with excellent sailing conditions and concluded with a finale marked by unstable weather.
Friday and Saturday offered nearly perfect conditions: sunshine, mild temperatures, calm seas and winds ranging from 7-12 knots shifting between 125º and 180º. However, Sunday brought a radical change. A morning storm left the coast without wind, forcing the race committee to keep the fleet ashore under postponement until 1:00 pm, when racing was definitively cancelled. Out of the 12 scheduled races, a total of eight were completed, with the first discard applied.
The clear winner of this opening event was the British Seriousfun, skippered by Tony Hayward (RCN Barcelona), who demonstrated remarkable consistency, securing four race wins. Joining them on the podium were Bodegas Can Marlés (CN Vilanova), early leaders after the first day, and HSN Sailing Team (RCNB/RCNGC), who despite winning two races, saw their chances hampered by an OCS in Saturday’s third race.
Series 1 gathered 10 teams from the United Kingdom, France and Spain, in an international fleet expected to grow in the upcoming events. Although overall registration exceeds 25 boats, several teams have reserved their debut for the second series, scheduled for October 3-5, which will also host the Spanish Cup of J/70.
Provisional Standings – Barcelona Winter Series 2025-2026 (Series 1 – Top 5)
- Seriousfun – Tony Hayward (RCN Barcelona) – 12 points
- Bodegas Can Marlés – Lucía Pombo (CN Vilanova) – 16 points
- HSN Sailing Team – Terrades/Martínez Doreste/López/Del Cast (RCNB/RCNGC) – 17 points
- Let it Be – Baltzer/Murray (RCN Dénia) – 24 points
- Cobra – Gonzalo Romagosa (RCNB) – 34 points
The Barcelona Winter Series 2025-2026 is organized by the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, with the support of Renting Ribs, and the collaboration of Diputació de Barcelona, the Spanish J/70 Class Association, the Catalan Sailing Federation, Estrella Damm, and Veri. Series information: www.barcelonawinterseries.com