Two races into the Puerto Portals regatta and the 52 Super Series has already produced the kind of close, tactical contest that defines this fleet. Alegre sit at the top of the standings on the back of two solid results, but Sled looked as sharp as they have in months during Race 2, and American Magic Quantum Racing continue to lurk. The Bay of Palma is earning its reputation.
Race 1 played out in a 12 to 17 knot sea breeze, with rolling chop reflecting off the cliffs to the right of the course. Clean starts were at a premium. Alegre capitalised fully, nailing the pin end and accelerating into clear air while most of the fleet stacked up high on the line. They pushed left early in search of a small lift near the shore, and the judgement was spot-on. Soriano's crew rounded the first top mark with their bow clean of the spray and the pack no more than two lengths behind.
Vayu and American Magic were close in those opening exchanges, but Alegre's bear-away was smooth and well-timed, setting up the first run perfectly. Paul Goodison called the laylines, and the crew extended downwind through the chop with balance and control. At the gate they split right, covered the fleet, and relied on straight-line pace to defend the advantage they had built.
They were never seriously threatened from there to the finish. Vayu's consistency brought them home second, while Alpha+, with Kiwi Nick Egnot-Johns on the helm, surged down the final run to claim third. American Magic drifted back to fifth, an early indication that even defending champions can stumble in an opener.
“It was a fantastic way to start,” Goodison said afterwards. “These boats punish mistakes. You only get one chance — but we stayed sharp.” [IMAGE:1]
Day two brought a different mood entirely. Light air and threatening thunderclouds hung over the race area as the committee sent the fleet out early, hoping to catch the first build of the sea breeze. They found six to eight knots, enough to get going, and Sled were the ones to pounce.
Takashi Okura timed a mid-line start to perfection, tacking smoothly into clean water on the right. Murray Jones read the shifts with precision, identifying a lane that paid all the way to the top mark, where Sled rounded bow-out by three lengths, their white hull moving freely across a patchy sea.
Behind them, Alegre and American Magic came around the top almost together, locked into a battle that carried through to the final run. Soriano's crew found better VMG through the gybes, threading a tighter lane, and that margin was enough to roll the Americans and hold second. American Magic had to settle for third.
"It came down to one lane," Jones explained. "We crossed when it counted, and from there it was control."
Okura's expression as Sled crossed clear ahead needed no translation. It was their first race win in some time, a timely reminder of why they occupy second place in the season standings.
American Magic Quantum Racing remain the team everyone else is measuring against. Harry Melges IV on the helm and Sara Stone on navigation produced genuine flashes of speed across both races, but a fifth and a third left them tied with Sled on eight points, with Alegre firmly in control. Before racing began, Victor Diaz de Leon observed that "odds are one in twelve." Nothing from the opening two days suggests he was being overly cautious. Puerto Portals is wide open.
New Zealand connections are woven through the fleet in several places. Egnot-Johns' third in Race 1 with Alpha+ reflected both his steadiness on the helm and the value of Adrian Stead's return to the boat as tactician. Race 2 proved harder, and they finished eighth, but their potential is plain to see. Provezza, flying Turkish colours and a favourite with the crowds, continue to work through the mid-fleet. John Cutter helms, with Hamish Pepper as tactician. Navigator Nacho Postigo, a Palma resident with deep Kiwi ties, offered a clear-eyed view of the week ahead. "The fleet has never been this even," he said. "Everyone can win a race. That makes it harder, but it also means opportunity."
Among those making the most of the Puerto Portals setting is Mallorca's Elvira Llabrés, contesting her 52 Super Series debut aboard Thai entry Vayu. She helped steer the boat to second in Race 1, working alongside an afterguard that includes Britain's Nick Rogers and Mallorcan Manu Weiller. "Sailing at home is fantastic," she said. "What better place to start than here?"
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Three races are on the schedule for Thursday, with the forecast pointing to more nuanced, shift-driven sailing that rewards preparation and patience. Alegre hold the advantage, but Sled are back in form and American Magic have not gone away. The fight for Puerto Portals has barely begun.
