HANG TEN Leads J/70 European Championship After Three Days in Barcelona

(Barcelona, Spain)- The Real Club Nàutic de Barcelona (RCNB) is hosting the J/70 European Championship 2026, one of the premier events on the international J/70 calendar. From July 18th to 26th, the championship will bring together 87 boats in the waters off the Catalan capital. There are teams from 24 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Monaco, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Here are the reports from the first three days of racing in this extremely talented fleet.

Day 1
Lexie Takes the Lead After Closely Contested Opening Day
Opening day featured classic Mediterranean conditions, with a thermal southeasterly breeze ranging from 6-11 knots—enough wind to complete the scheduled two races and provide an early test in a Championship already marked by remarkably close competition among the favorites.

The opening race was won by Great Britain’s William Edwards (GBR 1905) helming SARDONYX, who crossed the finish line just seconds ahead of Brazil’s Renato Cunha (BRA 1527) aboard TO NESSA. Spain’s Marcelo Baltzer (ESP 1122), skipper of LET IT BE, finished third. The second race produced a different winner, with American John Heaton (USA 169) steering EMPEIRIA to victory. Spain’s Món Cañellas (ESP 1706) and HANG TEN claimed second, while Brazil’s Ralph Vasconcellos Rosa (BRA 1226) aboard MINDSET completed the podium.

With two different race winners, consistency proved to be the key for the day. Sweden’s John De Champs, sailing LEXIE, posted finishes of sixth and fourth to take the early overall lead. Crewmember Simon Sivitza explained the team’s performance, “The races were very challenging, with constant position changes and lots of passing throughout the fleet. We managed to take advantage of a few favorable wind shifts to stay with the leading group and finish both races inside the top 10. We’re very happy with how the Championship has started.”

After two races, the provisional overall standings are led by John De Champs and LEXIE, followed by John Heaton aboard EMPEIRIA, with Gulboy Guryel and DENIZCIK in third.

Spain’s best performance of the day came from the HSN SAILING Team, skippered by Javier Padrón, which sits fourth overall while also leading the Corinthian division.

Day 2
HSN Sailing Team Takes the Lead
There was a change at the top of the leaderboard on Wednesday as HSN SAILING Team delivered an outstanding performance to take the overall lead after four races. Barcelona again provided excellent sailing conditions. Under clear skies, with slight seas and a steady easterly breeze of 10–12 knots, the fleet completed both scheduled races.

HSN SAILING Team (ESP 1214), helmed by Javier Padrón— one of Spain’s most experienced sailors— opened the day with a commanding victory in Race 3, finishing ahead of Gulboy Guryel (TUR 442) aboard DENIZCIK and the Brazilians on Cunha’s TO NESSA (BRA 1527). A fifth-place finish in Race 4 was enough to propel HSN SAILING Team into the overall Championship lead and also among the Corinthian fleet.

Ricardo Terrades, trimmer for HSN SAILING Team, commented, “We’re extremely happy with today’s results. We posted a 1-5, although we were the second-best team of the day— HANG TEN was the best with a 4-1. Both of our teams regularly sail here at the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona during the Winter Series and Spring Series, and I think that familiarity with the race course helped us significantly.”

Race 4 was another triumph for the home fleet as HANG TEN (ESP 1706), helmed by Món Cañellas, claimed the race win ahead of Heaton’s (USA 169) EMPEIRIA.

With four races completed, HSN SAILING Team now leads the European Championship with 23 points. Heaton’s (USA 169) EMPEIRIA sits second with 39 points, followed by Guryel’s DENIZCIK with 43 points.

Day 3
Hang Ten Takes Overall Lead with Outstanding Consistency
Day three confirmed that consistency is becoming the defining factor in the battle for the continental title. After races five and six, and with the discard coming into effect, the Spanish team of Guillén / Castellví / Cañellas (ESP 1706) on HANG TEN moved to the top of the standings, rewarding one of the most consistent performances in the fleet since the Championship began. Barcelona presented a very different racecourse from the previous two days. A light east-southeasterly breeze required the Race Committee to exercise patience before completing the day’s two scheduled races.

Haroldo Solberg’s (BRA 641) OCEANPACT claimed victory in the fifth race after a highly tactical contest, finishing ahead of HANG TEN, while Monaco’s G-SPOT rounded out the top three. The sixth race produced yet another different winner, with Denmark’s SIRENA CHICO crew crossing the finish line first. HANG TEN once again finished second, posting back-to-back runner-up finishes to confirm the team’s impressive form. American Rich Witzel’s ROWDY placed third.

The day’s biggest development came after race five, when the Championship’s discard was applied. While the discard contributed to the change at the top of the leaderboard, it primarily highlighted the exceptional consistency Hang Ten had demonstrated throughout the event. After a difficult opening race, the Spanish crew compiled an outstanding series of finishes (2-4-1-2-2)— the most consistent scoreline in the fleet. With their 45th-place finish from the opening race discarded, that consistency was reflected in the overall standings, lifting the Catalan team from fourth to first with just 11 points.

The previous overall leader, Ricardo Terrades’ (ESP 1214) HSN SAILING Team, also benefited from the discard by dropping a 46th-place finish. However, a more modest day on the water prevented the team from holding onto the lead, and they now sit second overall with 34 points. Both leading Spanish teams are competing in the Corinthian Division. American skipper John Heaton’s (USA 169) EMPEIRIA completes the provisional podium with 45 points. At the same time, the standings continue to reflect the remarkable depth of the fleet, where every point is becoming increasingly valuable.

Ricard Castellví (Hang Ten) said, “Today was a challenging day with very little wind and highly technical conditions. We managed two second-place finishes, which was a great result in a day like this, and now we’re leading the provisional standings. Overall, the week has been going very well for us. We’ve raced in a mix of light and moderate winds, always with a fair amount of wave action— conditions we know very well and that suit the teams who sail regularly in Barcelona.”

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J/70 Europeans racing results
https://www.j70eurobarcelona2026.com/results

For more J/70 European Championship sailing information
https://www.j70eurobarcelona2026.com/