52 SUPER SERIES UPDATE

North Sails Inventories Sweep Podium at Super Series Event Two

Two regattas in and the 52 Super Series is shaping up to be an event to watch this season. The best of five series hosted the first two regattas in Croatia in May and June; a new venue for the Series and new territory for many of the professional sailors in this event. North Sails Grand Prix Sales Leader and Super Series vet, Paul Westlake commented pre-season that newness was a theme running through the 2018 Super Series.

“We’re finished with two events, which were arguably the toughest events of the Series. You’re in a place the fleet has never sailed before, Sibenik and Zadar Croatia, respectively. On top of that, nine of the 12 boats are new this season, with endless developments in control systems, rigs, and most importantly sails. There is a considerable learning curve to understand the performance and the balance of this latest generation of boats. Plus very flat water and relatively light air makes for trying conditions on the race track. Sibenik turned out to be very light and Zadar ended up having a mixture of light and then some pretty good breeze over the last couple of days.”

Based on results, the most improved title goes to Luna Rossa and Phoenix, while Sled gets the consistency award. Luna Rossa sailed to the top of the podium in Zadar, rebounding from a sixth-place finish in Sibenik. Sled has not only been on the podium for both events, but has also dominated both coastal races and now sits comfortably in second overall for the series with 77 points.

The fleet will now turn its focus towards Cascais, Portugal, host of the 52 World Championship in mid-July. This location almost always guarantees good wind and swell, and a high probability of a tricky wave pattern. Recent conditions in the Series have not given a clear picture of a speed advantage, but Westlake feels we’re starting to see a little bit of a cream beginning to rise to the top.

On Luna Rossa:

“My prediction early on was that Luna Rossa would get stronger and stronger as the season developed. For them to win their second event as a newbie in the fleet is impressive. Yes, they’ve got a very experienced afterguard in Francesco Bruni, Jimmy Spithill, and Vasco Vascotto, but the majority of the crew is young with a dedication to improving their knowledge and skills every minute on the water. The program is showing that if you put the groundwork in and you trust the design and technology available, you have a solid foundation. I still think they’re going to get stronger and stronger throughout the series.”

On Phoenix:

“Phoenix’s driver Tina Plattner is what every skipper dreams of, ending up with a podium finish in their first Super Series event. Being the first lady skipper in the history of the Super Series, and coming away with two wins and a podium finish whilst sailing at the highest level of our sport is nothing short of amazing. Hasso must be incredibly proud and it is no surprise that he has been instrumental in creating the Phoenix team which is doing a great job all around with very close attention to their rig and sail setup which leads to solid boat speed, it’s a fantastic team effort.”

On Sled:

“You can’t underestimate how hard it is to win the coastal races in this fleet, and Sled has won both so far. We’ve always seen a trend of the boats that dominate in coastal races are usually regarded as one of the quickest boats in the fleet. We’ve seen light conditions so far and Sled is showing some real legs in the light air and flat water.”

On What’s Next:

“The feedback on the North Sails design support and the latest 3Di RAW 880 upwind developments from all our teams has really been extremely positive. Everyone continues to push their equipment really hard because it is a long season. The top guys are keeping a careful eye on their sail program and the aging of the sails, and also the modifications and tweaks that they want to make as they learn their boats and look for those extra millimeters around the race track.”

Westlake, along with Grand Prix designers Mickey Ickert and Juan Meseguer, will be in Portugal in July for the World Champs. The pressure is on for 52 teams and the North Sails experts who support as the World Championship closes in. Every team that signs up for the Super Series has the ultimate goal of winning the season, but to be crowned a World Champ is still the Holy Grail. Westlake expects we’ll see another level of intensity over the next three weeks. Cascais can be windy and kick up big waves, the team will therefore refocus their energy on conditions that will be demanding on their equipment and crews, whilst providing dividends to those who are fast both upwind and downwind.