Sønderborg Sailing Club has been crowned champion of the 2026 Danish J/70 Sailing League, edging out Bandholm Sailing Club on a countback tiebreaker after the two clubs finished level on points following the season finale in Aarhus.
The decider was hosted by Aarhus Sejlklub on the city's wide harbour, sailing near its distinctive bridge. Twenty-one teams contested eleven races apiece, thirty-three races in total, run by the Aarhus race committee over the weekend.
Four clubs were effectively racing for bragging rights as Denmark's best sailing club, and past champions KDY (Royal Danish Yacht Club) found themselves under serious pressure from smaller, sharper outfits.
KDY won the Aarhus finale itself, securing third overall in the season standings onto the overall series podium in the process. Sønderborg took second on the day, Bandholm third. That order between Sønderborg and Bandholm would matter enormously once the season tally was done.
Kaløvig Bådelau Sailing Club was fourth in Aarhus, Aalborg fifth.
The 2026 series ran across four regattas through the Danish summer: Svendborg, Helsingør, Lemvig and Aarhus. Everything came down to the finale.
Sønderborg finished the season with scores of 3-1-2-2 for eight points, level with Bandholm's 2-2-1-3, also for eight points. Both clubs held identical overall records across the four events, but Sønderborg's win over Bandholm in the Aarhus finale settled the title in its favour.
A near-identical script played out for bronze. KDY and Kaløvig both finished on 12 points, each recording a first, a third and two fourths. KDY’s better placing at the Aarhus finale secured bronze. KDY's win over Kaløvig Bådelau in the Aarhus finale settled that too, handing the Royal Danish Yacht Club the bronze medal.
Neptun Vejle rounded out the top five with 33 points from a 10-12-5-6 scoreline.
