The 52 SUPER SERIES fleet tests itself in Puerto Portals

The official training day of the Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week brought together for the first time the 13 teams that will compete in the fourth event of the 52 SUPER SERIES 2024. This Wednesday, August 28, will mark the debut competition for the Brazilian "Crioula", the French "Teasing Machine", and the new boat from the Turkish team "Provezza".

The Bay of Palma presented conditions of light breezes for the general rehearsal of the Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week, which will contest the fourth crown of the 2024 season from August 27 to September 1. For the first time, the components of the largest fleet in years: 13 boats from nine nationalities, met at a starting line, proof of the good health of what is considered the best Grand Prix monohull circuit in the world.

The official training replicated the usual choreography of two practice starts and two two-leg races, won by the South African "Phoenix" and the British "Alegre". "Phoenix", winner in these same waters at the last event of the 2023 season, was second in the second race as a reminder to the rest of the fleet that it performs well in the Bay of Palma.

One of the unknowns that will be cleared up this week in Puerto Portals is the performance of the new Turkish "Provezza" boat. Although the training races did not count for points, they served the team to measure their "Provezza XI" for the first time against their rivals. According to the Majorcan bowman Joan Fullana: "The truth is that we are happy. The boat runs and all the systems are working quite well, considering that we launched it just a month ago. It's a boat to which we've applied everything we learned with the previous one; it's quite similar, but we've removed the third pedestal, let's see how it goes. Mallorca is paradise: at the end of August the Embats are usually a bit weaker, the water is warmer, but we know we have a flat rate of wind and the wind usually doesn't fail. So far, we have only been able to test the new boat in these types of conditions."

The "Crioula" of the Brazilians Eduardo and Renato Plass, and the "Teasing Machine" of the Frenchman Eric de Turckheim lined up for the first time alongside the teams against which they will compete at least in Puerto Portals and Valencia. It will be interesting to see how they perform in a fleet as compact as that of the 52 SUPER SERIES. According to Fullana, their presence is already starting to be felt: "Today we could see that the inclusion of these two new boats is noticeable, especially at the starts, and for me, as a bowman, it's especially difficult to find a gap. At the buoy takings, the traffic is also noticeable; everything is tighter."

Laurent Pages, tactician of "Teasing Machine," acknowledged that they feel comfortable: "It was a great moment to finally line up with other boats, as until now we had only sailed four days with the boat. We had a lot to do checking sails and learning to do the maneuvers, so we are quite happy with the first day. We made good starts and learned that we need space. But we were in the game, which was a nice surprise."

Sam Albrecht, tactician of "Crioula," was also satisfied: "Today we raced well in the pack, and we are happy with that. We are here to learn. The fleet is very tight, and we need to keep improving every day."

The crew of the French "Paprec" paid tribute to Olivier Camebourg, the team's spinnaker trimmer, who died suddenly on August 11. Camebourg's colleagues scattered flowers into the sea in tribute to the memory of a person described by team manager Stephane Névé as "a loyal friend, someone who truly listened and on whom you could count, whatever happened." All members of the circuit deeply regret the loss of one of the 52 SUPER SERIES family members.

This year, the Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week has an exceptional visitor. Queen Suthida of Thailand traveled to Mallorca to discover the spectacle of the 52 SUPER SERIES and support Team Vayu of the Whitcraft family while enjoying the hospitality of Puerto Portals.

The competition schedule for the Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week will consist of a maximum of ten races over five days from Wednesday, August 28, to Sunday, September 1.