Balearic sailor Joan Cardona and his ‘Yupi’ conquer the J70 World Championship

The ‘Yupi’, owned and skippered by Olympic sailor Joan Cardona Méndez under the flag of the Real Club Náutico de Palma, was crowned world champion in the mixed category of the J70 class on Sunday, June 29th. The championship took place from June 26th to 29th in the Italian town of Torbole, on the waters of Lake Garda, with the participation of 47 teams from 16 countries.

The Yupi crew, the only Spanish team at the world event, was composed of Cardona, Gerardo Prego, Cristina Pujol, Fátima Diz, and Pilar Amaro. The team sailed with great consistency throughout the championship, staying at the front of the fleet and securing four race wins out of eleven.

Joan Cardona, a native of Menorca and bronze medalist at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games in the now-retired Finn class, thus earns his first international title as a boat owner in the J70 class.

The Balearic sailor currently juggles this J70 one-design project with his pre-Olympic campaign in the Nacra 17 class and his role as a crew member of the Spanish Team in the international SailGP circuit.

With this world title, the Real Club Náutico de Palma adds yet another international success this year. Its sailors have already won three European championships in the ILCA class (thanks to Nikko Palou, Tim Lubat, and Gabriela Morell), a European Optimist title (by Lluc Bestard), and a world championship in the ClubSwan 50 class, with Manu Weiller aboard the ‘Early Bird’.