Porto Alegre’s Clube dos Jangadeiros played host to the 2026 29er Brazilian Championships from February 18 to 22, delivering five days of competitive and demanding racing on the famously unpredictable waters of Lake Guaíba. A fleet of 11 teams took to the racecourse — among them three all-female crews, a single Under-16 entry, and seven Under-19 pairings — completing a full programme of 15 races across the week.
Guaíba lived up to its reputation for shifting conditions, serving up breezes between 5.5 and 20 knots every single day regardless of whether the skies brought rain or sun. The result was technically challenging, high-calibre sailing throughout the regatta. Competitors hailed from three different Brazilian states and four yacht clubs: Clube dos Jangadeiros and Veleiros do Sul from Rio Grande do Sul, Iate Clube de Santa Catarina from Santa Catarina, and Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro from Rio de Janeiro.
Wednesday’s opening day saw a southerly wind drive the fleet through three windward-leeward races, each featuring four legs. Thursday brought more of the same, with another trio of races contested in continuing southerly conditions that kept the regatta’s rhythm strong. Friday proved trickier — sailors were kept onshore under an AP flag as weather rolled through. The postponement was finally dropped at 1:40 pm, and race committee managed to squeeze in three more races before the day was done. Saturday delivered another three contests without interruption, and Sunday’s final three races wrapped up the championship with a clean 15-race series in the books.
Off the water, competitors and supporters enjoyed a Friday evening Happy Hour at Regatta Café, a new addition that made its inaugural appearance at the club during the event.
The awards ceremony unfolded on Sunday afternoon at the Clube dos Jangadeiros island, where defending 2025 champions Manoela Azevedo and Fernanda Schramm handed over the perpetual trophy to the new titleholders, Zion Brandão and João Vicente Joppert of Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro. The Rio pair topped the overall standings after a commanding week of racing.
Finishing second overall were the sibling duo of Pedro Koch and Mateus Koch from Veleiros do Sul, while Maria Clara Azevedo and Fernanda Schramm of Clube dos Jangadeiros rounded out the top three.
In the Women’s division, Azevedo and Schramm claimed the title, followed by Ana Clara Carlin and Laís Passos (Iate Clube de Santa Catarina / Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro) in second, with Jess Watson and Isabella Hermann Zorzi (Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro / Veleiros do Sul) taking third.
The Open category mirrored the overall podium at the top, with Brandão and Joppert again on the highest step, the Koch brothers in second, and Lara Miyuiki Candemil paired with Gael Gouvea from Iate Clube de Santa Catarina completing the top three.
Full results are available online.
