A wall of improvement
For a class declared as having ‘passed’ as recently as 2012 the TP52 seems to be doing rather well…
Although I see myself as a butler running a complicated house, some see me as a saviour and others as just lucky when it comes to my work as manager of the TP52 class. For sure it is easier to look good in your
profession when things go well. Then again, to be tested at times helps to become better at the job. Since being declared dead by most in the industry in 2012 when we were down to four boats, the remarkable resurrection now known as the 52 Super Series, built upon three owners deciding to set up a new series when the MedCup fal- tered, has since attracted about 20 owners. From 2014 to 2018 it was the motivation behind the construction of 20 new TP52s. Confidence is back, as 52 Super Series
experienced in her recently launched Tech- nical Partners programme – chalking up names like Quantum Sails, North Sails, Southern Spars, King Marine, Longitud Cero and Botín Partners. Their contribution allows live TV links between races for inter- views and race summaries. Some new 2018 boats still need to be launched but what I see so far makes me extremely happy to be part of this household. Besides the 20 most recent boats, from
their moulds another six or seven boats have also been built to date including the PAC52s in California and the recent Sydney- Hobart winner Ichi Ban. Plus the TP52s no longer taking part in the Super Series are all actively racing as far as I can see. About 80 boats, built to the highest
standards at the time, continue to give pleasure to what must be about 1,000 competitive sailors. And not just pleasure – a good number of sailors on the 52s are professionals. They have to bring home the bacon in preferably ample quantity. Most pros will never be singled out in this maga- zine, but this year’s 52 Super Series line-up includes names well-known to Seahorse readers, some even in mainstream media. Not least of course will be another
round between tacticians Terry Hutchinson (Quantum Racing/American Magic) and Vasco Vascotto (Luna Rossa Challenge) – this time as warm-up to a greater cause, the America’s Cup. They do not come without help, however: expect Francesco Bruni on the helm of the Botín-designed, Persico-built Luna Rossa, with Jimmy Spithill as strategist and Francesco Mon- gelli as navigator. On Quantum Racing (Botín Longitud Cero) her owner Doug DeVos will mix helming duties with Dean Barker and Ian Moore will be navigating. Even Vasco cannot race two boats at
Harm Müller Spreer’s Platoon has improved rapidly each season; they are the current TP52 world champions and finished second behind Azzurra in last year’s Super Series. A new Judel-Vrolijk design built by Premier will do nothing to slow them down in 2018
the same time so the 2017 Super Series champion and my personal tip for yet another overall podium finish, Azzurra, Botín design and King Marine build, will sail instead with Santiago Lange (three- time Olympic medallist including gold in the Nacra 17 in Rio) for tactical perspec- tive next to Guillermo Parada on the helm and Bruno Zirrilli as navigator. Other teams relying on paid hands on
the tiller are Provezza (Vrolijk/Persico) with Peter Holmberg, as in 2017 guided by Tony Rey and Nacho Postigo. Also the new Paprec (ex-Rán) with Cédric Château on the helm, Valentin Sipan on tactics and Jean-Charles Monnet on the tablet. Leading last year’s owner-driver depart-
ment and dedicated to becoming the first owner-driver to win the 52 Super Series is the owner of Platoon (Vrolijk/Premier), Harm Müller Spreer, bringing very much the same team as in his TP52 World Championship- winning year, mastered by John Kostecki (tactics), Jordi Calafat (strategy) and John Barne (navigation). There is, however, an impressive list of
owner-drivers sharing Harm’s ambition… First on the water this year and on the
helm of his new Sled (Botín/Core Compos- ites) was Takashi Okura. He relies on ETNZ’s Ray Davies for tactics, Adam Beashel as strategist and Andrea Visintini for navigation. Sled is a good example of a team who take their ‘homework’ seriously with dedicated coaches for afterguard (Rod Davis), speed (Murray Jones) and perfor- mance (Masanobu Katori). Not taking any risks, their chef is Italian
(Vincenzo Stamilla) and physio Japanese (Akito Suzuki). All team chefs have a few more mouths to fill as no team now goes into battle without a boat captain, a rigger, a boatbuilder, a tender driver, a sailmaker, plus by then you need a friendly but com- petent manager to co-ordinate the troops.
Every TP52 team also has a German
Shepherd to bark at managers, measurers and anything or anybody getting too close. In the case of Sled the Shepherd is from New Zealand and combines his barking with trimming the mainsail (Don Cowie). Alegre (Botín/Longitud Cero) is helmed
by her owner Andy Soriano who continues to put his trust in Andy Horton to politely tell him the way. Kelvin Harrap is the strategist and Will Best the navigator. Onda (Botín/King Marine) from Brazil is
filled with Olympic ambition… and medals. Owner-driver Eduardo de Souza Ramos is a double Olympian (Star, 1980 and 1984) Eduardo secured six-time Olympian Robert Scheidt (five medals, two gold) as tactician and André ‘Bochecha’ Fonseca, who sailed three Volvo Ocean Races and represented Brazil at the 2008 Olympics in the 49er, as project manager and strategist. New to 52 Super Series and, bar a few
outings in last year’s acquired 2014 TP52 Phoenix, new to TP52 sailing, father Hasso and daughter Tina Plattner enter the pool at the deep end with a new Botín design built at Persico. Both of their TP52s will race in the upcoming PalmaVela but only the new boat will race in the 52 Super Series. This under the tactical super vision of Ed Baird. Their navigator is Shane Elliott and the team compete under the South African flag, a welcome first for Super Series. Tony Langley will helm his latest Gladia-
tor, a 2017 Botín design, though Langley’s previously announced partnership with Ben Ainslie Racing is ‘on the move’ as the BAR America’s Cup programme reorganises. Xio Hurakan, born as the 2011 Quantum
and owned by Marco Serafini, will attend two or three events. From the nine new boats seven are from
Botín and two by Judel-Vrolijk. Both would not be at the level of TP52 design they are without each other and I guess w
SEAHORSE 31
NICO MARTINEZ
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106
