Cascais J/70 Winter Series - SailCascais Trophy opens the winter season
by Press CNCascais 13 Nov 16:58 GMT
October 24-25, 2026
The Clube Naval de Cascais hosted the 1st Cascais J/70 Winter Series - SailCascais Trophy from October 24 to 25, marking the first major J/70 event in Cascais following the successful 2026 J/70 World Championship held at the same venue.
The opening event of the Winter Series brought together 12 J/70 teams from 4 different nationalities, with a highly competitive fleet combining experienced international sailors and some of the teams that continue to prepare for the demanding winter season ahead.
Over two days of racing, the fleet completed six races, with Cascais once again providing challenging and rewarding sailing conditions, combining tactical racing, strong competition and the characteristic Atlantic environment.
Day 1 - Strong Atlantic conditions and close racing
The opening day delivered classic Cascais conditions, with strong offshore breeze and challenging waves creating an exciting race track.
Three races were completed, with several teams exchanging positions throughout the day.
In Race 1, SAILCASCAIS (POR 152), skippered by Manuel Ramos, took the win after a strong performance, followed by UON (POR 1046), led by José Caldeira, and Irrational Exuberance (BRA 1618), skippered by Adriano Bastos.
The second race saw YUPI (ESP 1170), skippered by Joan Cardona, move to the front of the fleet, with SAILCASCAIS (POR 152 - Manuel Ramos) and UON (POR 1046 - José Caldeira) completing the leading group.
In Race 3, YUPI (ESP 1170 - Joan Cardona) continued its strong form, followed by UON (POR 1046 - José Caldeira) and Irrational Exuberance (BRA 1618 - Adriano Bastos).
At the end of the first day, the overall standings were:
1st - ESP 1170 YUPI - Joan Cardona
2nd - POR 1046 UON - José Caldeira
3rd - POR 152 SAILCASCAIS - Manuel Ramos
After racing, Lucas Kalermo, skipper of Solid Fun (FIN 787), highlighted the excellent sailing conditions in Cascais:
"First of all, it was a really fun day, the sun is shining, really good weather, some waves, choppy waves, and good racing, so it was fun. The winter is definitely coming to Finland, but here it's 20 degrees and sunny, so I'm very happy to be here."
Joan Cardona, skipper of YUPI (ESP 1170), also praised the venue and the team's performance:
"It was really nice, we had really good wind in the offshore wind, and it's an amazing place to sail, that's why we come here. We needed clean starts, be able to be fast upwind, and then just send it with the waves downwind, and that put us in really good places."
Day 2 - Consistency decides the winner
The second day brought lighter conditions, but the racing remained highly competitive, with teams fighting for every position throughout the three races.
In Race 4, YUPI (ESP 1170 - Joan Cardona) continued its winning form, followed by Solid Fun (FIN 787 - Lucas Kalermo) and UON (POR 1046 - José Caldeira).
Race 5 saw another victory for YUPI (ESP 1170 - Joan Cardona), with UON (POR 1046 - José Caldeira) in second and AP Hotels (POR 661 - José Paulo Ramada) completing the podium.
The final race of the event brought a decisive change at the top. UON (POR 1046 - José Caldeira) secured the race win, while SAILCASCAIS (POR 152 - Manuel Ramos) finished second and Solid Fun (FIN 787 - Lucas Kalermo) third.
The final overall podium was:
1st - ESP 1170 YUPI
Joan Cardona
Pilar Amaro Filgueira
Javier de la Gandara
Alejandro Prego
2nd - POR 1046 UON
José Caldeira
Helder Basilio
Tiago Leal
Julia Cardoso
Gonçalo Ribeiro
3rd - POR 152 SAILCASCAIS
Manuel Ramos
Tomás Barreto
Vasco Soares
Bernardo Santos
The Corinthian Division winner was:
1st - FIN 787 Solid Fun
Lucas Kalermo
Sandra Sonneborn
Livia Väresmaa
Simon Kalermo
Atte Timmerbacka
At the end of the championship, Gonçalo Ribeiro, from UON (POR 1046), reflected on the team's performance and the future of the Winter Series:
"We had an amazing regatta. It was the first time together with this UON team, it's all friends and we ended up going our way. We were very happy. You can see by yourselves, it was great conditions. I think the Winter Series here will be great as well, there's a great setup, Vakaros RaceSense system, and a lot of good sailors coming. I want to be here and do the rest of the Winter Series."
Looking ahead
The Cascais J/70 Winter Series continues with the next event:
2nd Cascais J/70 Winter Series - J/70 Atlantic Cup - 28-29 November
The Winter Series continues to strengthen Cascais' position as one of Europe's leading J/70 sailing venues, bringing together top international teams and providing the perfect platform for high-level one-design racing throughout the season.
Sponsors and Partners
The Clube Naval de Cascais thanks all sponsors and partners for their continued support:
Câmara Municipal de Cascais
Marina de Cascais
Cascais News
Vsta Alegre
SailCascais
Sagres
Sailors for the Sea