TP52 World Championship: "Platoon" and "Phoenix" challenge Quantum Racing: World champion parade at the TP52 summit off Cascais

The number of Olympic and World Championship medals from other boat classes that the participants in the Rolex TP52 World Championship in Cascais have travelled with is more than promising: nine top crews are battling it out in Portugal for the World Championship crown in the leading international monohull series. After the first day in unusually light winds in an area that is otherwise known for its punchy conditions, three co-favourites are in the lead. The elite field is led by the American team Quantum, which earned the top position with two second places at the start. Lurking behind them are two teams with German owners: Harm Müller-Spreer from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein steered his "Platoon" to second place on the first day of the World Championship, finishing fifth and third. Tina and Hasso Plattner's "Phoenix", which achieved the same interim result with two fourth places under the South African flag, is tied in third place. The fact that the majority of the World Championship teams are capable of winning races was demonstrated by the first places achieved by the American "Sled" and the British "Alegre", which are initially in fourth and fifth place thanks to an eighth place each. The showdown between the powerful teams could well be decided in the final next weekend.

The quality of the field can be judged by its starters. Two-time Moth World Champion, America's Cup winner, Olympic Champion and World Sailor of the Year Tom Slingsby arrived shortly before the start of the World Championship. With a brilliant comeback victory at the second SailGP of the season in Chicago in his luggage, the Australian with an American passport jumped on board the Plattner family's "Phoenix". "It's tough changing classes all the time. I've probably just made the biggest jump because I'm coming straight from the SailGP. I arrived at the airport at midday, was picked up and taken straight to the harbour," reported the two-time SailGP season winner shortly before the start of the World Championship in Portugal. His assessment: "The TP 52 Super Series is currently the top Grand Prix series in the sailing world. The best sailors are here. That's great."

"Platoons" trimmer Ross Halcrow came to Cascais straight from the World Championship victory in the six with Markus Wieser and Dieter Schön's "Momo" crew from Galicia. His view: "It's nice to sail in big fleets like on Swans, but TP sailing has more to do with high performance and technique." Experienced professional Don Cowie, who trims the mainsail on Takashi Okura's "Sled" and has just won the 12-metre class on Okura's "Freedom" with the "Sled" core team, also says: "The races in the TP-52 class are so close and get closer every year. They are so hard to win. In comparison, the 12-metre sailing was quite relaxing. It was fantastic, it was fun. They are cool boats! We were on the 'Freedom', which won the America's Cup in 1980."

The Rolex TP52 World Championship ends on 25 June. Click here for the results and interim results (please click!). A total of ten races are planned. The host club is the Clube Naval de Cascais, founded in 1938. The picturesque fishing town on the coast, just a stone's throw from Lisbon, originally served as a royal retreat. The medieval fortress of Nossa Senhora da Luz and the Citadel Palace are located here. Since its foundation, the club has played an important role in the development of water sports and sailing in Portugal, particularly as a venue and organiser of national and international regattas. It has hosted the ISAF Sailing World Championships, the Olympic Class Championships and is a stronghold of the Dragon class. Cascais has already hosted the America's Cup World Series and is often on the wish list of leading Grand Prix series. This is not least due to the favourable winds that usually prevail.