MarNatura, skippered by Luis Bugallo of Real Club Náutico de Vigo, has been crowned champion of the J/70 Spanish Cup held this weekend in Barcelona. The event brought together 17 teams from three nations (Spain, Germany, and Hungary) and was held alongside the second act of the International Barcelona Winter Series, organized by the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona in collaboration with the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, the Catalan Sailing Federation, and the J/70 Owners Association.
Over three days of intense racing, crews from the Canary Islands, Galicia, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community, and other parts of Europe delivered top-level competition, completing nine of the twelve scheduled races with one discard in play.
Three days of high-level competition
Friday’s opening day started under cloudy skies with light southeast winds of 5–7 knots. Bodegas Can Marlès took an early lead (1-1-7), followed by Noticia, skippered by Luis Martín Cabiedes (RCNB), and HSN Sailing Team. Saturday brought sunshine and stronger southeast winds up to 15 knots, allowing four races to be completed. MarNatura dominated the day with impressive results (1-1-2-1), taking the provisional lead ahead of Noticia and HSN Sailing Team. Sunday dawned cloudy with light showers and westerly winds of 12 knots that shifted southwest and faded. Two races were completed before the third was abandoned due to lack of wind. MarNatura won the first race and finished 13th in the second, which became their discard, securing the overall title. The final podium was completed by Noticia (2nd) and Abril Verde of Luis Pérez Canal (3rd).
In the Corinthian division, MarNatura also claimed victory, followed by Abril Verde and Hang Ten in second and third place.
Results – J/70 Spanish Cup
1. MarNatura – Luis Bugallo (RCN Vigo) 2. Noticia – Luis Martín Cabiedes (RCNB) 3. Abril Verde – Luis Pérez Canal (RCN Vigo)
Barcelona Winter Series – Act 2
In the second act of the Barcelona Winter Series, the podium mirrored that of the Spanish Cup: MarNatura, Noticia, and Abril Verde. In the provisional overall standings for the 2025–2026 season, HSN Sailing Team remains in the lead, followed by Bodegas Can Marlès, Let it Be, Correa-Kessler, and Cobra.
Technological innovation and organizational success
The J/70 Spanish Cup also served to successfully test the RaceSense robotic mark system and the Vakaros navigation software, which will play a key role in the J/70 European Championship that the RCNB will host in Barcelona in July 2026. “We wanted to test this system with a large fleet ahead of the Europeans, and it has been a total success. The RaceSense marks make race management incredibly easy: there’s no more pinning, no more general recalls, and
races can be started very quickly once the wind settles. It’s a great step forward for the club, for the fleet, and for the season — the perfect start to a year that will culminate with the Europeans in July 2026,” said Luis Martín Cabiedes, owner of Noticia and member of the RCNB Sports Commission.
The Barcelona Winter Series 2025–2026 is organized by the Reial Club Nàutic de Barcelona with the support of Renting Ribs and in collaboration with Diputació de Barcelona, the Spanish J/70 Class Association, the Catalan Sailing Federation, Estrella Damm, and Veri. www.barcelonawinterseries.com