Barclays 52 Super Series - Gaastra Pro to enter the final event

by 52 Super Series on 11 Sep 2014 Gaastra Pro, one of the 52 Super Series most passionate long standing supporters and suppliers, will enter the final event of the 2014 Barclays 52 Super Series, the Zenith Royal Cup Marina Ibiza in their own right with a chartered 52 which will be skippered by Gaastra Pro’s director Marc Blees.

Just as he did at the Gaastra TP52 World Championships in Miami last year, Blees – himself a top Dutch pro sailor as well as the driving force behind Gaastra Pro – has recruited a posse of friends who also happen to be world class sailors to come to Ibiza and compete in the end of season finale in the TP52 Class which he loves.

Blees admits this is a regatta he could not miss, at a venue he could not miss. But, he confirms, while there is the probable satisfaction of racing against some of the best teams in the world, the opportunity for further cementing the brand’s association with the world’s leading monohull circuit is one which is also attractive.

Gaastra Pro will take the ORC world championship winning Hurakan which is the Reichel Pugh designed 52 originally built as USA 17 for Larry Ellison and skippered by Russell Coutts to win the City of Marseille regatta in 2008 before racing as Synergy and PowerPlay.

Blees, who campaigned Finn and Star classes for Olympic selection, has recruited top US Star sailor Mark Mendelblatt as tactician. Mendelblatt sailed in the MedCup as winning strategist on Quantum Racing. John Heyes – who presently sails with Hurakan and knows the boat well will sail as trimmer alongside veteran four times America’s Cup winner Simon Daubney who has sailed in eight America’s Cups and was most recently with Oracle Team USA.

'We have six or seven professionals on the boat who know it the TPs very well. They will do a good job I am sure,' Gaastra Pro’s Blees reveals.

'We will have three days of training, we will be in a relatively relaxed mode, out to sail well and have a bit of fun together, sailing with friends who are pros, some Star sailors and some Finn sailors, we are happy. It would be nice to be in amongst it and so well, but we don’t really have any expectations.'

'It will be great to welcome Marc and the Gaastra Pro team for Ibiza. Marc and many of the team are personal friends as well as avid supporters of the class and circuit. They have been with us since the start and share the 52 Super Series vision. So we look forwards to sharing their fun in Ibiza.' Rob Weiland, TP52 Class Manager, commented.

Points racing for the Barclays 52 Super Series starts Wednesday 17th September with the fleet for the Zenith Royal Cup Marina Ibiza already assembling at the Marina 52 Super Series