Cole Parada had never tasted victory as a tactician in the 52 Super Series before Puerto Portals, and the timing of his first win could scarcely have been more dramatic. Provezza's triumph in the day's only race, combined with overnight leaders Sled recording a catastrophic 13th place finish, has given Ergin Imre's Turkish-flagged team a three-point buffer going into tomorrow's three-race finale on the Bay of Palma.
The call that decided everything came from Parada and strategist Santi Lange. On the Vrolijk-designed TP52, they committed to the left side of the upwind leg in difficult, choppy conditions. Helm John Cutler and navigator Nacho Postigo secured the pin, winning the left end of the start line, and the task from there was to find the correct layline. That proved no small feat, because the squalls had knocked out the boat's onboard computer, forcing the crew to work entirely by hand.
"It is always good to be getting to the last day with a chance to win the regatta," Parada said after racing. "Tomorrow is going to be a really tough day with up to three races in an offshore breeze. We thought in this choppy water it was important to win one of the ends. John and Nacho did a fantastic job, and from then on we had to work the right layline. We lost the box so it was manual like the old days."
Parada has been part of the fleet since its inception in 2012, but last season marked his first time stepping up to the tactician's role. The maiden victory in that position carries obvious significance, and the performance suggests he has settled comfortably into the job.
The start of racing was pushed back to nearly 4pm after stormy cells spent the afternoon battering the gradient breeze. Conditions opened at 14 knots and faded to eight by the second lap. Provezza crossed the line first, with Andrea Lacorte's Alkedo Vitamina taking second.
The more consequential action unfolded through the rest of the fleet. Dutch newcomer Pieter Heerema's No Way Back Team snatched third place right on the finish line from the new Brazilian entry Caballo Loco, a result that vaulted the team into third overall with seven races now complete. Harm Müller-Spreer's Platoon Aviation, which had climbed to third before the day's racing, attracted two successive penalties, the first for crossing too close to No Way Back and the second for fouling Andy Soriano's Alegre.
Sled's fall from the lead has blown the regatta wide open. With three races remaining, the upper half of this tightly matched fleet can realistically set their sights on winning the 52 Super Series season opener. After seven races, Provezza sits on 35 points, Sled on 38, with a cluster of contenders close enough to make tomorrow's finale genuinely unpredictable.
