The final battle for the 52 SUPER SERIES title begins in Puerto Portals

The fourth day of competition in Puerto Portals consisted of a full schedule of three races that narrowed the gaps at the top of the standings and heightened the tension in the battle for the fourth title of the season.

The Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week will conclude on Sunday in a thrilling two-race finale, with the top three contenders for glory separated by just three points.

The fleet took to the water with the aim of making up for the race that could not be held the day before, resulting in a grueling three-race day. The wind decided to cooperate, and although it was unstable at times, it allowed the 13 teams from nine nationalities to complete the program and return to Puerto Portals with eight races under their belts after four days.

The action started with 11-14 knots of wind and increased to nearly 20 as the first race progressed. In the pre-start choreography, "Paprec" secured the position at the far left end of the line, which would prove to be the right choice. The team led by Jean-Luc Pethuguenin, helmed by Cedric Chateau and with tactics by ocean racing legend Loïck Peyron, led the entire course to notch their first race win of the season. A penalty at the first buoy drop relegated the leader "Platoon Aviation" to the back of the pack, although Harm Müller-Spreer's boat would recover to finish ninth. Their arch-rivals "Gladiator" (second) and "Quantum Racing powered by American Magic" (third) scratched some important points from them.

In the next race, Takashi Okura's "Sled" scored its third race win of the season. The world champion and 52 SUPER SERIES champion in 2021 made the right call on the left side of the field, finding a clean lane to escape at the front of the fleet and never look back. A similar bet by "Provezza" resulted in a good second place for Ergin Imre's boat in this first event with their new "Provezza XI". "Quantum Racing powered by American Magic" finished third. Another penalty for "Platoon Aviation" cost the German boat another nine points, combined with the sixth place by "Gladiator", allowing Tony Langley's team to provisionally take the lead.

In the third start, "Alpha Plus" also found success on the left, where they found free passage to advance without interference. In the middle of the fleet, "Platoon Aviation" and "Gladiator" were vying for the provisional lead of Puerto Portals. The German team rounded the first mark in fifth and the British in ninth. While the positions at the front of the race did not change, the excitement focused on the duel between the two event leaders. At the end of a tense final run, three boats squeezed just ahead of "Gladiator", who added a frustrating tenth place to "Platoon Aviation"'s relief (sixth). The German boat regained the lead.

The Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week will conclude on Sunday with a grand finale of two races. In the battle for the fourth title of the season, "Platoon Aviation" leads with 38 points, three ahead of the tie between "Gladiator" and "Quantum Racing powered by American Magic". A negligible margin in a fleet of 13 boats.