Thirteen boats, one historic trophy, and a championship fight that tightens with every race. The Puerto Calero Lanzarote 52 SUPER SERIES Royal Cup gets underway Tuesday 25 August, the fourth of five events in the 2026 season and the second straight regatta in Lanzarote's reliable trade winds.
The Royal Cup carries genuine history. First presented to the IMS 50 class in 1995 by King Harald of Norway alongside Pasquale Landolfi, Willi Illbruck and Yannis Kostopolous, it has become one of the most coveted trophies on the circuit. Harm Müller-Spreer's Platoon Aviation has won it three times, in 2021, 2023 and 2024.
Platoon trails series leader Sled by 17 points, a deficit Müller-Spreer is dismissive of. "We are sailing well, well enough to have won at Marina Rubicon if we had not torn five or six kites," he says. "And 17 points is nothing considering there should be 20 races left to sail this season. We saw how Sled lost points in the closing stages last month. Anything can still happen. But we believe we can still win the season title. That is our objective, to win the 2026 championship." Three good days, he says, and the gap is gone.
Takashi Okura's Sled won the first two regattas of the season, including the Rolex TP52 World Championship in Porto Cervo, but stumbled badly at Marina Rubicon, collecting 18 points across the last two races. Tactician Francesco Bruni is not flinching. "We were disappointed with our last day. We would have loved to win again but we knew a bad day would come this season. We have to accept it." The priority now is reaching Valencia with the lead intact. "No lead is comfortable in this fleet. We have learned our lessons."
The form team heading into Puerto Calero is Paprec. Jean-Luc Petithuguenin's programme claimed its first event win since joining the circuit in 2012 at Marina Rubicon last month, and project manager and mainsheet trimmer Stéphane Névé is sounding anything but cautious. "If it is breezy again we can have a very strong event," he says. "Now we know we can do it we will be working doubly hard."
Alkedo finished just two points behind Paprec at Marina Rubicon and will be looking to go one better. The trade winds here suit the boat. Bowman and project manager Matteo De Luca says the approach will not change. "We were very, very well prepared in Lanzarote last month, the boat was very reliable and the sails were dedicated to the conditions and very reliable. We figure we sail our best all the time both goals can be achieved, doing well on the circuit standings and winning a regatta."
Then there is Gladiator. The British team's regatta at Marina Rubicon ended after two races when the forestay hanger broke, causing substantial damage to the carbon tube around the fitting site. What followed was a race against the clock involving Rig Pro, Southern Spars and Carbo-Link, with logistics complicated by Lanzarote's notorious supply chain difficulties. Components had to be flown, shipped and driven to the island by unconventional routes. "Even with the best in the business working together we very much needed the stars to align for us to be ready to race in Puerto Calero," says project manager Feargal Finlay. Quantum Sails and the wider SUPER SERIES community rallied too. "It is great to have had backup and support from the other 52 SUPER SERIES teams," Finlay says. "We've just had everyone rallying around us."
Racing runs through to Saturday 29 August.
