52 Super Series: Kick-off in Saint-Tropez - "Platoon Aviation" with room for improvement

Harm Müller-Spreer's new Botin design "Platoon Aviation" almost won the season championship of the 52 Super Series 2024 after a bumpy start and a furious final spurt. Last year, the German boat was just one point short of the victorious US team American Magic Quantum Racing after five regattas. On this May Day, both heavyweights of the leading international monohull series opened the new season, but not quite as hoped.

52 Super Series: "Gladiator" dominates day one

On the first day of racing off Saint-Tropez, the Brits on "Gladiator", who were so narrowly relegated to third place last season, set the tone: Tony Langley's crew took the lead with a win on the day and a second place ahead of "Alpha Plus" flying the Hong Kong flag and the US yacht "Sled". The teams American Magin Quantum Racing (2nd, 10th) and Platoon Aviation (7th, 8th) initially had to settle for sixth and seventh place in the field of eleven boats.

Principal Race Officer Marija Turrijo and her team had no chance of racing the day before in very light winds of no more than four knots. But on Thursday they managed well in the late afternoon. In winds between eight and 13 knots, not all teams had an easy time.

However, Toney Langley's "Gladiator" team performed with aplomb. A prominent newcomer on board the British yacht is America's Cup veteran Ray Davies, who had already won the first MedCup in 2006 on Peter de Ridder's "Mean Machine".

Ray Davies: "Get away cleanly, keep to the right"

In Ray Davies' words, it sounded as if the day had been like reading an open book. The seven-time America's Cup participant and multiple round-the-world sailor said: "It was a fantastic day, glassy seas, winds of 9 to 13 knots, a slightly biased right-hand side of the course, so it was a case of getting away cleanly at the start and keeping to the right."

Commenting on the competition in the 52 Super Series, Ray Davies said: "The pressure on board is great, all the teams are sailing at such a high level that there are no problems with crew work and boat speed. As an afterguard we are working to constantly improve. Tony is back at the helm and did a fantastic job today. But the overall level of the fleet is so high that we know we can't maintain this level every day."

A look at the newly formed crew of Team Alpha Plus also shows why the team flying the Hong Kong flag was able to finish second on day one behind "Gladiator" and ahead of a number of well-known opponents. New Zealand's 26-year-old match race ace Nick Egnot-Johnson at the helm, Australian Laser Olympic champion Tom Burton as tactician and experienced Briton Iain Moore as navigator contributed to fifth place and a win on the day.

First light wind poker, then a dream final?

Weak winds are expected again on Friday in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, but there could be ideal winds on the final course. "We are expecting great conditions at the weekend, winds of between eight and 15 knots," said Maria Turrijo. Click here for the intermediate results in Saint-Tropez and all the results from recent years.

REPLAY: Click here for live coverage of the first two races at the 52 Super Series season opener in Saint-Tropez: