52 Super Series. Falling Off the Podium

by Richard Crockett

The Bay of Palma served up a week of mostly atypical, unsettled and changeable summer sea breeze conditions for the fourth regatta of the 2018 52 SUPER SERIES, and after a promising start Phoenix fell off the podium in the closing stages of the regatta.

Tina Plattner and her crew were simply unable to keep their results inside the top 5, while a 10th in race 6 effectively put them out of the running for a podium finish.

It was a tight regatta in terms of points all the way through as going into the final day 3 boats, including Phoenix, were tied on points, all just a single point behind the then leader.

The challenges to the tacticians, helms and speed teams of the ten TP52s were more frustrating than the usual Palma one-sided strategy, even a little random at times. But Quantum Racing proved the most adept in every department, winning their third 52 SUPER SERIES regatta of the four contested so far this season, the first with owner-driver Doug DeVos on the helm.

Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week Final Standings
1. Quantum Racing (USA) (Doug DeVos) (2,4,2,5,2,6,8,2,4) 35 p.
2. Azzurra (ARG/ITA) (Alberto/Pablo Roemmers) (6,5,1,6,4,9,2,4,1) 38 p.
3. Platoon (GER) (Harm Müller-Spreer) (1,10,8,2,7,3,3,3,2) 39 p.
4. Phoenix (RSA) (Hasso/Tina Plattner) (5,3,4,4,3,10,5,5,3) 42 p.
5. Luna Rossa (ITA) (Patrizio Bertelli) (7,2,6,9 Penalty 2,1,1,6,8,7) 49 p
6. Provezza (TUR) (Ergin Imre) (4,1,7,10,6,7,10,1,6) 52 p.
7. Sled (USA) (Takashi Okura) (8,9,5,1,10,8,1,6,5) 53 p.
8. Alegre (USA/GBR) (Andy Soriano) (3,6,3,8,8,2,9,10,8) 57 p.
9. Onda (BRA) (Eduardo de Souza Ramos) (9,8,DNF11,3,9,4,4,7,9) 64 p.
10. Gladiator (GBR) (Tony Langley) (10,7,9,7,5,5,7,9,10) 69 p.