Harm Müller-Spreer's German-flagged Platoon Aviation has claimed the 2026 52 SUPER SERIES championship, winning by a clear margin in the end. The title was sealed on the America's Cup waters off Valencia as the fifth and final event of the season, the 52 SUPER SERIES Valencia Sailing Week, wrapped up with a single race in a light sea breeze.
Müller-Spreer knows what winning feels like. He also knows what it is to lose by the finest of margins. Back in 2023 off Mallorca the title went to a dead heat, decided only on tie break against Ergin Imre's Provezza, a team that had dominated for most of that year before a major rigging failure cost them dearly.
This time there was no such drama at the finish. Platoon arrived in Valencia holding an 11 point lead over Takashi Okura's Sled and turned it into a 30 point winning margin by the time the fleet packed up.
Sled had looked the form boat early on, winning the season's first two regattas including the Rolex TP52 World Championship in Porto Cervo, Sardinia. But a gear failure at the second of two back-to-back Lanzarote regattas dented their challenge, and in Valencia's fickle, shifting breeze, sailed by a record fleet of 16 teams, they simply couldn't find consistent pace against Platoon. They finished the week down in eighth.
Platoon's own season carried its own scars. Second in Puerto Portals, third at the worlds, then a difficult regatta at Marina Rubicon where several gennakers blew out in strong winds. They answered by winning the Royal Cup for the fourth time in Puerto Calero, then closed with a third place finish in Valencia for their fourth podium of the campaign. Two Spaniards who won the 32nd America's Cup with Alinghi on these same waters, strategist Jordi Calafat and navigator Juan Vila, were central to the win.
"This is such a big honour to win in a fleet like this against all these great professionals, all these super advanced teams and a record fleet of 16 boats on the start lines here," said Müller-Spreer. "And here we are winning after a long, long season with so many ups and downs, a few material breakdowns, not good for results, some mistakes, but here to be on the top of the podium that's really a big honour to win against all these America's Cup heroes."
Tactician Vasco Vascotto, an Italian who has now won the title five times, celebrated the victory on his 57th birthday. "We are very, very happy, especially because we know that this event could have gone one way or the other. We had Sled that is so strong with plenty of amazing sailors on board. We have done well on our own last part of the season, let's say, very, very happy how we performed. The boat is getting better and I think that the crew and the shore team, everybody did an amazing job."
Platoon only launched as a new boat for the 2024 season and took time finding its pace, finishing fifth overall last year. A new keel and further updates this season have sharpened the package, with Müller-Spreer having taken two regattas off last year and the team missing the input of Calafat at the time.
For Sled, it was a mixed farewell: second overall for the season, world champions, and podiums at three of five events, yet a flat finish today. Project manager Don Cowie reflected on a long and largely successful campaign. "We are disappointed with the way it went here but we are happy with second overall, world champions and being on the podium at three of five events. And I'm told we have been on the podium at seven of the last ten regattas. It has been a very successful campaign for the Sled team and for Mr Okura. We are disappointed to have sailed the way we did today. But we have had a great time over the years, winning five races in a row in Porto Cervo in 2019, that was a real highlight with Mr Okura driving and winning the last regatta of last season with Mr Okura driving was another highlight as was winning the worlds and the season title in 2021. At that time we were the first team outside of Azzurra and Quantum to win it."
Andrea Lacorte's Alkedo Cetilar provided the other big story of the week, claiming the Valencia regatta title with a second place in the final race and locking up third overall for the season, in just their second year on the circuit. "I don't believe what has happened today," said Lacorte. "This is so much ahead of our expectations. The crew has done such an excellent job and Cam has worked magic all week. We have the best team! And winning an event in just the second year is something I would never, ever have believed."
Tactician Cameron Appleton, visibly relieved, praised the whole operation. "We have an amazing fleet here, some incredible teams who have put in a lot of work, a lot of efforts into what we are all trying to achieve out there on the race course. We have an amazing group of people who really do work their hearts out every day, they wear their emotions on their sleeves, it has been such a pleasure to lead them and to sail with them and everyone working to make our boat go fast."
Müller-Spreer finished the year as top owner driver, with Lacorte second and Dutchman Pieter Heerema's No Way Back third, Heerema's team finishing fourth overall in the championship standings.
