The French Paprec team remains the most consistent performer among a fleet of 13 at the very breezy Marina Rubicón Lanzarote 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week, leading the regatta by two points after four races.
In winds that exceeded 25 knots and featured significant shifts, Jean-Luc Petithuguenin’s crew secured victory in the first race of the day and narrowly edged Vayu at the finish line of the second race, achieving a fourth place.
This performance allowed Paprec to pull ahead of the newly crowned World Champions, Sled, who faced their only issue of the event when they trawled a spinnaker while approaching the leeward gate, finishing sixth.
Top performers of the day included the Hong Kong team on Alpha Plus, with Shawn and Tina Kang’s crew earning two commendable second places, solidifying their position in third overall, five points ahead of Andrea Lacorte’s Alkedo Vitamina, which recovered from an early start line incident to finish third in the second race.
Provezza and Platoon Aviation led the first race at the top mark. However, due to sudden shifts and current, the laylines changed unexpectedly. Provezza rounded first and quickly distanced themselves under spinnaker, while Platoon Aviation struggled, eventually losing their kite and allowing Paprec to take the lead.
In the second race, Platoon Aviation started strong but faced challenges at the top mark, where another kite failure hampered their performance. Sled capitalised on these issues, ultimately winning their second race of the event.
Stephane Névé, Paprec’s project manager and mainsail trimmer, remarked on the day’s success, stating, “It’s a great day for the team. We had a fantastic first race, not a fantastic start, but we had good speed. The tactician and navigator did an excellent job upwind. We were a bit lucky as our competitor had kite problems, which opened the door to our victory in the first race. We are happy with the result and leading the standings.”
Ian Moore, navigator for Alpha Plus, described the day as challenging but rewarding, emphasising the need for calm amidst unpredictable conditions. Tony Langley’s Gladiator missed both races due to a damaged forestay.
The current leaderboard for the Marina Rubicón Lanzarote 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week is as follows:
1. Paprec (FRA), Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, 2+1+1+4 = 8
2. Sled, Takashi Okura, 1+2+6+1 = 10
3. Alpha + (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang, 3+8+2+2 = 15
4. Alkedo Vitamina (ITA), Andrea Lacorte, 7+3+3+3 = 16
5. No Way Back (NED), Pieter Heerema, 5+7+5+9 = 26
6. Platoon Aviation (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 6+5+9+6 = 26
7. Alegre (GBR), Andy Soriano, 4+9+8+10 = 31
8. Vayu (THA), Whitcraft Family, 9+6+11+5 = 31
9. Provezza (TUR), Ergin Imre, 11+12+4+7 = 34
10. Trinity Racing (SWE), Joakim Sundberg, 12+4+10+8 = 34
11. Crioula (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass, 14(DNS)+11+7+11 = 43
12. Teasing Machine (FRA), Eric de Turckheim, 10+10+14(DNF)+12 = 46
13. Gladiator (GBR), Tony Langley, 8+13+14(DNS)+14(DNS) = 49.
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