It was a gorgeous opening day on Biscayne Bay for the opener of the 2026 J/70 Midwinter Championship, hosted by Twelve USA at Shake-A-Leg Miami. Three races are in the books, and the 45-boat fleet wasted no time getting down to business.
Flying the Union Jack at the top of the leaderboard is Martin Dent’s Jelvis, sailed by father-daughter duo Martin and Ruby Dent alongside Rick Peacock and Henry Wetherell. A consistent 7-4-6 scoreline puts the British team on top after an anything-but-consistent day on the turquoise waters of Florida’s Biscayne Bay.
Teams from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Spain, France, the UK, Mexico, Sweden and across the United States are already trading punches early in the series, setting the stage for a wide-open regatta with two days remaining under the leadership of Principal Race Officer Mark Foster.
Just as the leaderboard began to take shape, the final race delivered a shakeup. A dramatic 40-degree left shift rolled down the course midway up the first beat, reshuffling positions and rewarding those who capitalized early while punishing others caught on the wrong side.
Race wins were spread across the fleet. Brazil’s Haroldo Solberg (OceanPact) struck first in Race 1, Al Minella (Level5) answered in Race 2, and Scott Foxman (Relentless) closed the day with a win in Race 3.
Three races down, two days to go. The leaderboard is tight, the conditions are dynamic, and Miami is just getting warmed up. 2026 J/70 Midwinter Championship is sponsored by Bacardi and Regatta Brokerage – the Brian Kamilar Team.
Top 10 Overall
1. Jelvis — Martin Dent
2. Two Odd — David Jannetti
3. Level 5 — Al Minella
4. Hedgehog / Old NADS — Alec Cutler (Top Corinthian)
5. Good to Go — Doug Rastello
6. Hestia — James Murray
7. Elvis — Filip Engelbert
8. Catapult — Joel Ronning (Top Mixed-Plus)
9. OceanPact — Haroldo Solberg
10. Empeiria — John Heaton
Division Leaders
Open: Jelvis
Corinthian: Hedgehog / Old NADS
Mixed-Plus: Catapult
One-Pro: Mr. Pitiful
Results: https://bacardiregattas.sailti.com/en/default/races/race?text=j70-midwinter-championship-en
Photos: https://gallery.hannahleenoll.com/2026-j70-midwinters/
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Live Tracking: https://player.vakaros.com/watch/3wfobr0OVwZJqajIuled/J70?live=true