Takashi Okura's Sled team leads the Rolex TP52 World Championship after Day 1 at Porto Cervo, courtesy of one of the most audacious starts seen in grand prix racing in years.
With the fleet scrambling for the right side of a consistently one-sided upwind track on the smooth waters of Costa Smeralda, Sled's tactician Francesco Bruni had spent two days planning a port tack flyer from the pin end. When the race officer adjusted the line to draw boats left, Sled pounced. The execution was near-perfect, and the lead they built from that moment only grew.
"That second race will be remembered for a long time by all of us," Bruni said dockside at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. "A great start on port tack at the pin end is not something you see every day in the TP52 class, or indeed any class. So we are very proud of our first day. Finishing fifth in the first race after a good recovery was as important as winning the second race. We had the start planned for a couple of days. We know the race committee put on some bias on that pin end of the line as everyone wants to go right. So it was good to do it today. I am not sure anyone else is going to be able to do it again for the rest of the week. It is obviously a risky move but it was well planned and well executed at just the right time."
Sled's 5-1 scoreline puts them level on six points with the Whitcraft family's Vayu, though Sled holds the lead on countback. The 2021 world champions also won the opening event of 2026 last month in Mallorca.
Vayu had four family members aboard, with Dylan Whitcraft steering, Shane Elliot navigating, and Palma-based Manu Weiler on tactics. After slipping clear of No Way Back and Platoon Aviation at a tight, overlapped first windward mark in Race 1, they were equally clean in Race 2, posting two thirds. A month ago at Puerto Portals they led after Day 1 before sliding down the fleet, and Weiler is conscious of the parallel.
"Yes it is similar to Puerto Portals last month and we hope we don't repeat what happened there. We lead in Puerto Portals but then we had crew changes and it got breezier but this week looks set to stay light and so we should have no issues. We are very happy to start the way we did with two thirds. We had two good starts, good speed and very clean manoeuvres. It was a one sided track and from good starts we could make the early tack."
Third overall is Dutch owner-driver Pieter Heerema aboard No Way Back, with Terry Hutchinson leading the crew and Italian Michele Ivaldi as navigator-strategist. Their 6-2 scoreline came from measured, low-risk racing in breezes of nine to 12 knots. "A six and a two is a bit ahead of expectations," Ivaldi said. "Everybody know this is quite a right hand track. Today, the first day, we are low risk, we started near the middle of the line both times and got two very good starts. The boat is going well, it is fast upwind and downwind and so we managed to pull out two good races. I think we are going to see a very light gradient all week long."
With a record entry of 15 teams from 11 nations, four days of racing remain.
Rolex TP52 World Championship Porto Cervo 2026 Provisional Standings 1. Sled, Takashi Okura, 5+1 = 6 2. Vayu (THA), Whitcraft Family, 3+3 = 6 3. No Way Back (NED), Pieter Heerema, 6+2 = 8 4. Alkedo Vitamina (ITA), Andrea Lacorte, 1+9 = 10 5. Platoon Aviation (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 4+6 = 10 6. Teasing Machine (FRA), Eric de Turckheim, 2+14 = 16 7. Caballo Loco (BRA), Mauro Dottori & Fabio Cotrim, 9+7 = 16 8. Paprec (FRA), Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, 13+4 = 17 9. Crioula (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass, 7+11 = 18 10. Provezza (TUR), Ergin Imre, 8+10 = 18 11. Alegre (GBR), Andy Soriano, 11+8 = 19 12. Gladiator (GBR), Tony Langley, 15+5 = 20 13. Trinity (SWE), Joakim Sundberg, 10+13 = 23 14. Alpha + (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang, 12+12 = 24 15. Vudu (ITA), Mauro Gestri, 14+15 = 29
