All eyes are on Phoenix as the 2025 52 Super Series finale opens in Porto Cervo. Hasso and Tina Plattner’s South African-flagged TP52 has drafted in an Australian afterguard straight from SailGP: Tom Slingsby, Will Ryan, and Kyle Langford arrived overnight from Geneva to step into the campaign’s final chapter.
Phoenix remain one of the top-tier teams, proven contenders across the full range of conditions. With Slingsby calling tactics, they won their first regatta in Puerto Portals in 2022 and went on to finish runners-up for the season. His return reconnects the boat with that pedigree, even if he admits to feeling rusty after years on foiling platforms.
“The last time I sailed a non-foiling boat was when I was last with Phoenix in 2022,” Slingsby said. “It did feel a bit like I was a beginner again today! But really it is great to be back with this team. It is an accomplished team, a great team. I will make mistakes this week for sure, but everyone is supportive. I am so looking forward to it.”
While not committing to results, Slingsby emphasised the importance of enjoying the regatta: “Honestly I have not even thought about results. The team is strong and there is no reason why we can’t get a good result. I think we want to enjoy ourselves.”
If the Aussies hoped for a gentle run-in, the weather didn’t play ball. After a couple of meaningful practice starts, the breeze off Porto Cervo faded to nothing, leaving the official practice races abandoned. For crews that had been training over the weekend, it was frustrating. For Phoenix and others still bedding in changes, it was a lost opportunity to rehearse in race mode.
Principal race officer Maria Torrijo signalled a different challenge ahead. Forecasts show a windy week, but flexibility will be required. “We need to set up to be flexible to race when the conditions are best,” she cautioned. With September’s mix of Mistral blasts and drifting calms, the race team must balance safety, spectacle, and fairness.
The finale of the 2025 52 Super Series – Porto Cervo Range Rover Regatta – brings together 13 teams from nine nations. Doug DeVos is back on the helm of American Magic Quantum Racing, leaders by 41 points, and effectively assured of the season title. Takashi Okura’s Sled look equally safe in second on 172 points.
The real tension lies in the battle for third. Andrea Lacorte’s Alkedo Vitamina hold 197 points, with Jean-Luc Petithuguenin’s Paprec just 2.5 points behind. For Alkedo, consistency in light to moderate breeze will be key, buoyed by passionate Italian fans, while Paprec must capitalise if stronger Mistral winds arrive, conditions where they have historically excelled. Every race point will count in deciding who joins the overall podium.
Among the biggest talking points is a late-season reshuffle at Provezza, currently sitting ninth overall. Owner Ergin Imre has moved three-time Olympic medallist Santi Lange off the coach boat and into the racing crew. Lange will sail as strategist and manage the runners, while Cole Parada shifts forward to take over as tactician replacing Kiwi sailor, Hamish Pepper.
“The team felt we needed to make a change,” Parada explained. “We owe Ergin much better results and we are making this change to see how it goes. It makes sense to do this now, in advance of next season.”
Lange acknowledged the challenge: “It is not easy to make a change like this in the season, but we have to make sure we are as competitive as we can be. It’s unfortunate not to race today as right now every minute counts.”
For Provezza and other mid-fleet crews, Porto Cervo is as much about setting a marker for 2026 as it is about closing 2025. Teams like Gladiator want to end a patchy year on a stronger note, while Alpha+, fresh from their first podium in Puerto Portals, will look to prove their rise is no fluke.
From the dominance of American Magic to the Kiwi-led surge of Alpha+, the Alkedo–Paprec duel, and the unknown impact of Phoenix with its SailGP Australians, the stage is set for a dramatic finale against the Costa Smeralda backdrop.
