INGRID ABERY
Rob Weiland
First steps (always) are exciting
Seven of the nine new TP52s had their first racing at the PalmaVela in a 10-boat fleet in which they were joined by Paprec (Rán 2015), Phoenix2014 and Tony Langley’s Gladiator (2017). In Palma Ado Stead replaced Ben Ainslie,
probably just for the event, and the Gladiator team clearly needed time to find a new balance
and motivation after Sir Ben’s sudden switch to a new Cup sponsor who stipulated that a shared TP52 programme was not part of the plan. Speaking to Tony Langley, he said he could understand, given the bigger picture of the money needed to have a fair stab at winning the old mug, but nevertheless what has taken place clearly did not match how he planned his sailing for the coming year… With six of the seven new boats racing in Palma designed by
Botín Partners, there was no surprise to see these potentially appear very even in performance… but gosh are they different in detailing both on deck as well as down below. So many ideas how the perfect TP52 shall be equipped and
operated – yet almost every one of them functioned in battle from the word go with very few hiccups. Truly remarkable and a feast for the eye. I hope one of these days a photographer gets the chance to show the reader the interior of these boats; systems everywhere, like a Panamarenko artwork but in this case it all has function… and it works. A picture says more than a thousand words but I under- stand why the teams are not so keen on publicity right now. Talking to a ClubSwan50 owner about the difference between
the two classes and how he chose between them, for him a major factor was that the TP52 costs twice the money – just stand behind both boats for five minutes each and you will know. Imagine then going inside both and the difference is even bigger. Horses for courses, I happily sail on both. How these Formula 1 boats and teams are made ready for battle
is where you see differences too and in the end it is the crew and the teamwork that count most. Not unexpectedly Team Azzurra
30 SEAHORSE
came out of the box flying, Vasco [Vascotto] or no Vasco, taking their first regatta win by a good margin. Santi Lange, no one will dispute, is a very different character from the ‘Trieste volcano’, also in his racing, but from race one Azzurra set the benchmark high. Clearly Quantum Racing came to Palma with no time to spare
for training after launching their boat just days before the event but they battled through the week remarkably well, from a modest start to silver on the podium… while their shore team were burning quite a few litres of midnight oil. Harm Müller Spreer’s Platoon, the only new Vrolijk boat in the regatta,
took third but their owner and crew clearly are of the opinion their new boat is capable of more than this and shows more potential relative to the Botín boats than the previous Platoon. No way the 2017 Platoon was slow, just hard to find the right gears sometimes, certainly in the light stuff – so expect to see Platoon on stage regularly. Pretty impressive it was to see Hasso Plattner doing as well as
he did (fifth) with his new Phoenix (2018). Not that his crew list is short of proven talent but it takes more than talent to be a team. In the end Phoenix did not make it on stage but this was certainly not a disappointing week if not a confidence boost. Sled prefers to be invisible in her all-white attire and mostly they
are in this abundantly coloured fleet but finishing fourth will have given them the confidence they needed to trust their new weapon. Finishing sixth to 10th in this fleet is no shame but for sure some
catching up to do for Alegre, Gladiator, Paprec and Onda. Each had their moments but consistency is as yet lacking. Onda, stunning livery and some of the great names of our sport onboard, not least Robert Scheidt, a legend. But so much to learn for this new team and so little time. They will catch up, however, and I for one am looking forward to their first race win. That will be a party!! Always a joy to see Paprec in the mix. France is filled with sailing
talent and Paprec is all about giving the younger French talent the opportunity to mix with the pros. And mix they do and they do enjoy it, the team with the most smiles.
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