The Royal Cup in Scarlino got down to business in tough conditions at the halfway stage on Friday. The "Platoon" with owner and helmsman Harm Müller-Spreer, sailing for the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, was also challenged in the field of nine TP-52 racers. After mixed results this season in the 52 Super League and meagre first places of 4th, 7th, 8th and 7th in Scarlino, the newly formed crew put in a brilliant performance on day three in rock-and-roll conditions. With second place and a win on the day, the "Platoon" team moved up from the depths of the rankings to fifth place.
New "Platoon" tactician: Vasco Vascotto instead of John Kostecki
In the 52 Super Series, many eyes are on "Platoon" these days, as 52-year-old Vasco Vascotto has replaced Harm Müller-Spreer's long-standing US tactician John Kostecki after a mixed season so far. With more than 25 world championship titles in various classes such as Farr 40, RC 44, Soto 40, ILC 30 and also in the current TP 52 (with "Azzurra"), Vascotto has stepped onto the boat under the German flag. The man from Trieste is to help bring the two-time TP 52 world champions of the "Platoon" back to the top.
Vascotto is extremely experienced and is known in sailing circles as an intelligent and humorous player who knows how to comment clearly on both good and bad performances. The expert, who is almost always met on land with a smile on his face, is no more a soft-spoken player than his predecessor John Kostecki.
"It's like in football: sometimes you have to change the coach or the striker"
Vascotto's comment after the successful third day of racing with his new team: "We are no more heroes today than we were zeros in the last few days. It takes time for all the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place: good starts, speed, manoeuvres and tactics. That felt much better for me today. The communication is getting better, we know each other better - what I can get from Harm and what he needs from me."
Harm Müller-Spreer on Vasco Vascotto: "He wants to win"
After his first experiences with the new man at his side, Harm Müller-Spreer said: "We've been sailing together for three days now. Communication is getting a bit better. It's easier to understand what he means, even in the difficult moments." On the change of tactician, Müller-Spreer said: "It's like in football. Sometimes you have to change the coach or the striker. Vasco is definitely one of the most experienced in the class. I actually never expected to ever sail with him because we have fought so many battles against each other on the water in the past. But after a few days on a boat, it works well."
Vascotto's answer: "Let's prove on the water that we deserve good results." Müller-Spreer's response: "He wants to win. And we have to prove that he is also a winner in our team." Takashi Okura's American "Sled" leads the standings with just 17 points ahead of the decisive final races on the Tuscany weekend.
"They see things that other boats don't see"
Among the guarantors of success on "Sled" are Italy's America's Cup darling and match race ace Francesco "Checco" Bruni, six-time New Zealand America's Cup winner Murray "Captain" Jones and navigator Andrea Visintini. He said: "Checco and Murray create the magic on board. They see things that other boats don't see. And the boat is fast! Mr Okura is doing a good job at the helm, especially downwind." The US team Quantum Racing (21 points) and Hasso and Tina Plattner's "Phoenix" (23 points) follow in the intermediate standings. With 29 points in Scarlino's account, the "Platoon" team still has a chance of finishing on the podium in the remaining four races.
Click here for the Intermediate results at the Royal Cup before Scarlino and here to the Season ranking after four of six regattas. The final of the high-calibre monohull professional series will take place at the end of October in the future America's Cup metropolis of Barcelona.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
