Please select your home edition
Edition
Lloyd Stevenson - Catalyst GT 1456x180px TOP

52 SUPER SERIES Scarlino Sailing Week starts Tuesday

by 52 Super Series 29 May 2023 17:04 PDT 30 May - 3 June 2023

Scarlino set to offer opportunities for all...

After the one way, one sided gains of the track of Saint Tropez earlier in the month, the 52 SUPER SERIES teams seem set to be offered the very opposite type of sea-breeze conditions over the first few days of the 52 SUPER SERIES Scarlino Sailing Week which starts Tuesday on the Gulf of Follonica, Tuscany.

Today's two short, sharp practice races underlined how the shifty, unsettled sea breezes might present continued challenges - or opportunities - to the afterguards of the 11 teams representing seven different nations racing this week. Jean Luc Petithuguenin's French team on Paprec won one practice race, the other went to the Thai team on Vayu.

The winners of the French event, Ergin Imré's Provezza, arrive in Tuscany holding a six points circuit lead and have full confidence in their set up and their team but navigator Nacho Postigo denies they hold the rank of favourites to win here again,

"The fleet here is so high level I don't think you can say anyone now is a favourite except the usual suspects, Quantum and Sled, Phoenix and so on. Honestly I think we now have a good package right now with the boat, the sails, the mods we have done and the crew. And if we manage to get the most out of the boat as we did in Saint Tropez then I think we can be up there again.", says Postigo.

The feedback from other teams universally agrees that the Vrolijk boats Provezza and Platoon are more potent after their keel mods. Provezza have worked hard on their rig set up and have a new sail designer in America's Cup and Ocean Race winning designer Robert 'Hooky' Hook.

"He has done a great job picking up from where Juan Meseguer had already started and he has adapted better to what we specified in the winter, so we are benefiting now from what we learned last year. And especially we have done a lot of work on the rig settings and that is also connected to what we learned last year. And finally we have the new keel which is working well."

Postigo relishes challenges here, "This is a great venue but I have been expecting the sea breeze to build more than it did these first few days here. So we have seen big shifts and changes in pressure, so it is interesting. I was expecting it to be much more linear, a building sea breeze come in and stay but it has been very complex, especially today. But, then, when you have speed you prefer the one way track of Saint Tropez, if you don't have speed you want shifts, so let's see!"

One team on the bounceback after a modest first half in Saint Tropez are the Plattners' South African crew of Phoenix. Bringing in a new tactician in Santi Lange, already a proven 52 SUPER SERIES winner on Azzurra in 2019, requires time and races to learn the subtleties of style and communication as Kiwi strategist Cameron Dunn attests, "We got a lot better in Saint Tropez, the second half was better. We did not get off the start line and we struggled. We have a couple of new personalities on board and this fleet is so tough, you make a small mistake at a venue which was so one sided, so dominant that it took us a while to find our groove and it felt like we sailed the second half really well."

He continues, "Relationships are always different. With Santi, you bring in a different personality, a different culture, it is just about learning the communication and the way he like to do things. Someone like Tom Slingsby was very clear and concise what he wanted from Day 1, whereas Santi is quieter and wants to make sure he fits in with the team and so you maybe missed a bit of that style of leadership. But now he is really stepping up and taking on the role which is awesome and we noticed that as we were going through the regatta in Saint Tropez which is cool."

Racing starts Tuesday and runs through until Saturday. Follow the competition live every day on the 52 SUPER SERIES website and social media channels.

Related Articles

Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais overall
American Magic Quantum Racing win Rolex TP52 Worlds after breezy week in Cascais. Doug DeVos' American Magic Quantum Racing crew were crowned 2025 Rolex TP52 World Champions today in Cascais, Portugal. Posted on 6 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais day 4
All on the line Sunday as American Magic Quantum Racing seek to close out eighth world title After three spectacular races today on Cascais, Portugal's showcase high winds arena, Doug DeVos' seven times world title winners American Magic Quantum Racing lead into the final day of the 2025 Rolex TP52 Worlds with a hard earned five points buffer. Posted on 5 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais day 3
French tour de force gives Paprec world championship lead As the Rolex TP52 World Championship passed its midway point today in Cascais, Portugal it is the French underdogs on Paprec, led by ocean racing legend Loïck Peyron, which has taken the overall lead. Posted on 4 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais Day 2
Consistent American Magic Quantum Racing move clear ahead American Magic Quantum Racing stepped three points clear at the top of the 2025 Rolex TP52 World Championship leaderboard today in Cascais, Portugal on the strength of a first and third from two breezy races. Posted on 3 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais Day 1
Sled sparkle in Cascais' Atlantic surf to lead After seemingly being starved of boisterous top end conditions for some years now Okura's Sled crew have been relishing a return to big breezes and big waves. Posted on 2 Jul
Admiral's Cup 2025 | Interview with the CYCA Team
A highly experienced team for the revived Admiral's Cup regatta from July 17 The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia is fielding a highly experienced team for the revived Admiral's Cup regatta that will be run from Cowes on the Isle of Wight in the UK, from 17th July 2025. Posted on 1 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais - Practice Day
Will Platoon Aviation's big breeze, big pressure experience prove key to their fourth world title? Of the three past and present world championship winning crews which completed their final practice today in typically muscular 25 knot breezes and big waves out of Cascais, Portugal it was Harm Müller-Spreer's Platoon Aviation which showed best today. Posted on 1 Jul
Introduction to the Admiral's Cup/Fastnet 2025
After a 22 year abscence, the renowned Admiral's Cup is back. After a break of 22 years, the renowned Admiral's Cup is returning to the international yacht racing scene in July 2025. One short ocean race, three days of inshore racing, and then the fabled Fastnet to finish Posted on 29 Jun
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais preview
Eleven teams hoping the Portuguese venue lives up to its reputation Given that it is a long time since the 52 SUPER SERIES fleet raced in big winds and waves, a breezy final few training days before the start of next week's Rolex TP52 World Championship in Cascais would be universally welcomed by the 11 teams. Posted on 23 Jun
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez preview
Looking ahead to the 27th edition The elegance of the Classics, the power of the Moderns, the majesty of the Maxis. This dreamlike combination, a legacy of the Nioulargue, will once again come together in the stunning setting of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez from September 27 to October 5. Posted on 22 Jun
Rooster 2025North Sails Loft 57 PodcastC-Tech 2021 SnuffAir 728x90 BOTTOM