YUPI Leads J/70 Mixed-Plus World Championship in Copenhagen
(Copenhagen, Denmark)- The Royal Danish Yacht Club (KDY) is hosting a fleet of thirty-seven teams from thirteen nations (Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, Great Britain, Hungary, Norway, Turkey, United States, Japan, Germany, and Finland) for the 2026 edition of the J/70 Mixed-Plus World Championship. Sailing is taking place on the Baltic Sea north of Copenhagen. Here are the reports from the first two days of the regatta.
Day 1
Racing launched Wednesday with winds ranging from 8-14 knots, providing excellent conditions for three races on the opening day.
At the end of this first day, Sten Mohr’s LADY IN RED (DEN) and Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE (GBR) are tied at the top of the overall standings with 14 points. Reigning 2025 champion Joan Cardona Mendez’s YUPI (ESP) sits third with 16 points, tied on points with Kim Christensen’s SOFFE (DEN) in fourth and Till Krüger’s JANE (GER) in fifth.
The Mixed-Plus World Championship places a special emphasis on female and youth participation at the highest level of J/70 competition. Under the event format, each crew must consist of four or more people and may include no more than two males over 18 years of age.
Three Different Race Winners:
The opening race went to defending champion Cardona Mendez’s YUPI (ESP), followed by Catharina Schaaff’s HALTBROCKEN (GER) and Torben Mauritzen’s TALLY HO (DEN). Mohr’s LADY IN RED (DEN) took the win in Race 2, with Christensen’s SOFFE (DEN) second and Kristian Lenkmann’s DIE RADIOLOGIE (GER) third. The final race of the day saw Hedvig Liljegren’s APOTEA (SWE) claim victory. YUPI finished second, while Krüger’s JANE (GER) completed the top three.
Day 2
The second day saw three races, bringing the total to six. With the discard race now in effect, Joan Cardona Mendez’s YUPI (ESP) has established a commanding lead.
Sailing in steady conditions of 9-12 knots under mostly sunny skies, the fleet completed three more races Thursday. Cardona Mendez and crew Gerardo Prego Menor, Pilar Fernanda Amaro Filgueira and Fatima Diz Barreras continued their exceptional form, posting finishes of 1-1-3 to move atop the overall standings with just 8 net points. The Spanish team is discarding a 13th from Race 2 and now keeps all top-three finishes. Cardona Mendez’s YUPI won the inaugural J/70 Mixed-Plus World Championship last year and is also leading the One-Pro subdivision.
Kim Christensen’s SOFFE (DEN) holds second overall with 26 points and is leading the Corinthian division. Sten Mohr’s LADY IN RED (DEN) is third with 26.9 points, despite carrying a DPI from the opening day. Nevra Eker (TUR) is leading both the female helm division and the all-female crew division.
For Thursday’s racing, YUPI opened the day with another victory in Race 4, followed by Mohr’s LADY IN RED and Simon Kaiser’s ICEBORG (SUI). Kaiser’s team is a youth team and currently tops the youth subdivision. Christensen’s SOFFE finished second in Race 5 behind YUPI, with Marc Keene’s RASCAL (DEN) taking third. Race 6 saw a new winner in Eigil Mølgaard’s BLUEDOCK (DEN). Tomas Skålén’s SSÅV (SWE) was second, with YUPI third.
J/70 Mixed-Plus World Championship results
https://www.manage2sail.com/f/event/bb544276-b4e7-4e43-9ddd-18df777a8f5b#!/results?classId=77e14f16-f86f-4888-84df-9fd835161d70
For more Royal Danish YC sailing information
https://kdy.dk/