With one day to go, Platoon Aviation has positioned itself strongly in the chase for the 2026 title. After a long day of three races in mainly light winds, Harm Müller-Spreer’s German-flagged Platoon Aviation leads the overall standings by 20 points. Meanwhile, the Valencia Sailing Week regatta title remains closely contested, with Andrea Lacorte’s Alkedo Cetilar holding a slim one-point lead over Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back.
In a day filled with spirited match racing, notably between circuit leaders Platoon Aviation and their nearest challengers Sled, Platoon managed to maintain their composure. Despite a challenging first race that saw Platoon finish 13th and Sled 11th, the former recovered with a fifth and a fourth in subsequent races, solidifying their lead.
Tactician Vasco Vascotto of Platoon Aviation reflected on the day, stating, “Sled fired some bullets from their gun and we resisted. It can still go either way tomorrow, but I think that Harm and the guys did a fantastic job to stay calm and wait for our moments.”
Sled’s Don Cowie expressed optimism, noting, “Yes, we brought a bit of fireworks and action into today. We want to get that score down and get back on the podium, which would get us back on the podium for four of this season’s five events.”
Alkedo Cetilar emerged victorious in the first race of the day, marking their third win of the event. However, a 12th place finish in the third race saw them narrowly ahead of No Way Back, which has Terry Hutchinson as tactician and Kiwi Hamish Pepper as strategist.
“We gained a place today, which is great, but going into the final day with No Way Back one place behind is pretty stressful,” said Matteo de Luca, bowman on Alkedo Cetilar. “Right now, we are on target to achieve our goals for the season.”
Terry Hutchinson praised his team’s performance: “The difference today was starting well; we started consistently, which made it easier. This fleet is really hard, it is a really good fleet.”
The regatta leaders, Alkedo Cetilar, won the first race today, followed by Tony Langley’s Gladiator in the second, and No Way Back in the third. The final day of racing is set to commence with a 1330hrs warning signal.
Provisional standings for the Valencia Sailing Week show:
1. Alkedo Cetilar (ITA), Andrea Lacorte, 10+1+7+1+1+12+2 = 34
2. No Way Back (NED), Pieter Heerema, 4+7+13+3+3+4+1 = 35
3. Platoon Aviation (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 6+6+1+5+13+5+4 = 40
After four regattas and seven races in Valencia, the 2026 circuit standings are:
1 Platoon Aviation 211 pts
2 Sled 231 pts
3 Alkedo Cetilar 251 pts
4 No Way Back 269 pts
5 Paprec 277 pts
The anticipation builds for the final day as teams prepare to battle for the coveted titles.
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