EMBATA 80 Wins Spanish J/80 Cup in La Línea Thriller
(La Línea de la Concepción, Spain)- EMBATA 80, representing CN Hondarribia and skippered by Iñigo Jáuregui, won the Spanish J/80 Cup following a remarkably close championship in the waters off La Línea de la Concepción, at the Strait of Gibraltar.
The title remained open until the seventh and final race, with EMBATA 80 eventually finishing just one point ahead of John Bassadone’s PENINSULA and three points clear of Arturo Montes’s EBRO NAVEA.
The final day began with an extraordinary scenario: all three title contenders were tied on points. The deadlock followed Saturday’s racing, when Arturo Montes scored two wins aboard EBRO NAVEA, John Bassadone recorded two second places with PENINSULA, and Iñigo Jáuregui took two thirds with EMBATA 80! How bizarre is that coincidence of finish positions for each boat!
With no margin for error, EMBATA 80 made the first move on Sunday. Jáuregui and his crew won the opening race of the day ahead of EBRO NAVEA, while Oliver Góngora’s PENINSULA finished third.
The result moved EMBATA 80 into the overall lead, but the championship was far from decided. Only three points separated the three contenders before what would ultimately become the final race of the Spanish Cup.
PENINSULA responded by winning race seven, with EMBATA 80 finishing second. AQUAHOLIC, owned by José Couret and José Luis Aracil, took third place, with Antonio Coronilla at the helm. Its finish ahead of EBRO NAVEA proved significant in determining the final standings.
When the scores were settled, EMBATA 80 claimed the Spanish Cup. Jáuregui’s team finished one point ahead of PENINSULA and three ahead of EBRO NAVEA.
The winning crew also featured Iker Martínez, one of Spain’s most successful sailors: Olympic gold medallist at Athens 2004 and silver medallist at Beijing 2008, three-time 49er World Champion, three-time European Champion, and World Sailor of the Year in 2011.
Light easterlies kept the championship alive until the final race
Two races were completed on Sunday in light easterly winds of between 6 and 8 knots. The race committee started a third race, but a drop in wind strength during the downwind leg forced abandonment.
The 2026 Spanish J/80 Cup therefore concluded after seven races, with three sailed on Friday, two on Saturday and two on Sunday.
The race course once again demanded careful reading from the crews. Changes in pressure and direction made positioning and quick tactical decisions particularly important, adding another layer of difficulty to an already extremely close championship.
PRETTY SAILING’s robotic marks allowed the race committee to adjust the course quickly in response to the shifting wind.
The conditions throughout the three-day championship tested very different aspects of the fleet. Friday brought a strengthening southerly with gusts up to 18 knots, while lighter, more tactical easterlies dominated the weekend.
The 2026 Spanish J/80 Cup was organized by CN Bevelle and sponsored by Alcaidesa Marina, Gestión de Varaderos del Sur, Sunseeker Andalucía, La Ventana Discreta, Pretty Sailing and Strait Magazine.
The event was held in collaboration with the Andalusian Sailing Federation, the J/80 Owners’ Association, the Royal Gibraltar Yacht Club and Boat Haus, with the support of La Línea Town Council.
Sailing photo credits: Strait Magazine
https://www.straitmagazine.com
Report credit to STRAIT MAGAZINE (based in Gibraltar):
https://www.straitmagazine.com/embata-80-wins-spanish-j80-cup-la-linea-2026/