The J/70 Midwinter Championship has become a test of survival, and after two days of unstable racing on Biscayne Bay, Haroldo Solberg and his OceanPact team have climbed from ninth to first overall, taking the overnight lead with just three races remaining.
Sailing with Carlos Robles, Mario Tinoco and Gabriel Silva, Solberg surged past British entry Martin Dent’s Jelvis, who now sits in second after leading Friday. Al Minella’s Level5 rounds out the podium.
This is not typical Miami.
Saturday sailors faced 30-degree shifts, patchy pressure, 6-10 knots and a racecourse dotted with puffs and holes that refuse to behave. Some lanes paid. Others punished instantly. It was a tale of sea breeze fighting the gradient. Gains and losses came in minutes, producing multiple fleet inversions and a leaderboard that continues to reshuffle race by race. PRO Mark Foster is running fair, efficient racing powered by Vakaros RaceSense.
The morning’s first warning was postponed two hours due to light air. Consistent, proactive fleet communication via WhatsApp allows sailors to sleep in or enjoy postponement from Coconut Grove instead of waiting at the dock.
The scores tell the story. The discard races among the top five teams read: 26, 16, 20, 17, 28 — a sign of how unforgiving the conditions have been.
Race wins were once again spread across the fleet. Sweden made a strong statement, with both entries claiming victories: Per Roman’s Garm snatched the day’s first win with a late downwind pass, while Filip Engelbert’s Elvis closed the day on top. In between, American Paul Green’s Progress added a win to the mix.
With six races complete and one discard now in play, it’s consistency and mitigation (not perfection) that will decide the championship.
After racing, sailors enjoyed Bacardi hospitality at Shake-A-Leg Miami. Real estate agent and yacht broker Brian Kamilar and his Regatta Brokerage team sponsor the J/70 Midwinter Championship. This event is the fourth and final J/70 regatta in Miami this winter hosted by Twelve USA Inc.
Top 10 Overall
1. OceanPact — Haroldo Solberg
2. Jelvis — Martin Dent
3. Level5 — Al Minella
4. Hestia — James Murray
5. Empeira — John Heaton
6. Catapult — Joel Ronning
7. Mindset — Ralph Vasconcellos Rosa
8. Aretê — Bruno Bethlem
9. Good to Go — Doug Rastello
10. Elvis — Filip Engelbert
Division Leaders
Open: OceanPact
Corinthian: Hedgehog / Old NADS
Mixed-Plus: Catapult
One-Pro: Mr. Pitiful
Three races to go. A volatile leaderboard. A fleet that refuses to settle. May the best sailor win.
· Results: https://bacardiregattas.sailti.com/en/default/races/race?text=j70-midwinter-championship-en
· Photos: gallery.hannahleenoll.com/2026-j70-midwinters/
· 4K Drone Footage: https://youtu.be/8-TdLbOUTLU