Winners of the last regatta of 2025, Takashi Okura’s Sled sealed victory at this season’s opening event, Puerto Portals 52 Super Series Sailing Week, with an excellent first and a third on a challenging race track in an offshore breeze.
The Sled afterguard Murray Jones, Francesco Bruni and Andrea Visintini worked their particular alchemy which usually ensures Sled are one of the most consistent teams on the 52 Super Series, but it was their tall, Dutch bowman Ivan Peute who saved their overall victory when he quickly sorted a mainsail halyard issue.
The problem happened with twelve minutes to the start of the last race. He went up the mast and secured the head of the mainsail in place – albeit a few centimetres below max hoist, finishing the task with less than two minutes to the start gun.
“Ivan, Ivan, Ivan!” was the chant as Sled celebrated their win back at the dock in the Marina Puerto Portals with well earned gins and tonic.
“We are so happy. This is a team win. Our player of the day is Ivan our bowman. He is our MVP. He fixed our problem between the races. It was a huge problem. We would have had to race without a mainsail. He deserves all our admiration.” Enthused Francesco Bruni, Sled’s tactician.
“The main halyard had come undone and we had to fix it. We only had a few minutes. I had to go up the mast and lash it. It was just in time.” Peute explained.
“The whole team did a fantastic job.” Smiled Bruni who added, “We are very optimistic for the season now. But we know that there will be ups and downs, yesterday we had a very big down and we picked ourselves up. Now we have to be nice and calm and go from here. Today we knew it was going to be windy and we focused on our play books for windy days and trying to forget the mistakes of yesterday.”
Today Sled put behind them their bogey result, a 13th place yesterday, which was the result of two consecutive penalties. They returned the lowest aggregate in the 14-boat fleet, four points from the two races sailed in a building breeze which topped 25 knots in the second windward-leeward. With the wind building still more the event was concluded before the planned third race could be sailed.
Overnight leaders Provezza, Ergin Imre’s Turkish flagged crew, could not convert their three points lead to overall victory. They compounded a seventh in the first race with a disappointing 14th in the last race after they ended up on the wrong side of the first upwind.
Back in the frame
Harm Müller-Spreer’s three-times world champions Platoon Aviation landed their best result since finishing runners up in Baiona, Spain last June, taking second overall today at nine points behind Sled. Their second is a sharp contrast with this time last year when the German flagged team were last in Saint-Tropez.
At his first ever regatta on the 52 Super Series Dutchman Pieter Heerema steered his No Way Back to third just a single point behind Platoon Aviation. Sailing the boat which won both of 2025’s main titles – the worlds and the season – American Magic Quantum Racing, Heerema has 75 per cent of the winning team including tactician Terry Hutchinson who this week had Morgan Larson as strategist.
The next event for the fleet is the Rolex TP52 World Championship in Porto Cervo, Sardinia June 15-20.
Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week Overall
Winning the only race sailed today whilst overnight leaders Sled slumped to a 13th place, Ergin Imre’s Turkish flagged Provezza team lead Puerto Portals 52 Super Series Sailing Week into the final day by a margin of three points.
An independent subscriber-supported website, newsletter, and podcast. Featuring exclusive stories and interviews about Grand Prix sailboat racing. Subscribe to receive our free email newsletter. Get full access with a paid subscription.
Subscribe for free to receive our email newsletter.
