Sled’s bowman saves the day as Americans win Puerto Portals season opener

Takashi Okura’s Sled (USA) claimed the first title of the 2026 52 SUPER SERIES season at Puerto Portals Sailing Week in Mallorca, Spain, completing a dramatic final-day comeback that nearly unravelled when a mainsail halyard came undone with twelve minutes to the start of the last race.

Dutch bowman Ivan Peute scaled the mast, lashed the head of the sail in place, and was back on deck with less than two minutes to the gun. Sled then went on to finish third in that race, enough to clinch victory by nine points over three-times world champions Platoon Aviation (GER), with debutant team No Way Back (NED) completing the podium a further point behind.

The regatta ran from May 5 to 9 across a record fleet of 14 TP52s representing 11 nations, including three new teams: No Way Back, Swedish newcomers Trinity Racing, and Brazilian entry Caballo Loco.

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Day One: Underdogs lead, rookies win

Racing opened on May 5 in light, shifty breezes that kept tactics at a premium and delivered a first-day leaderboard few would have predicted. The Whitcraft family’s Thai-flagged Vayu, steered by Don Whitcraft, led the first race from the top mark all the way to the finish in seven to ten knots to take the day lead. Tactician Many Weiller credited patience and good shift reading from a team that freely acknowledges its underdog status.
“You really notice the increase in the fleet size to 14 at the start,” Weiller said. “The key today was to be patient, wait for the shift that worked in your favour, and try to join the main group.”

Race 2 went to Trinity Racing‘s rookie owner-helmsman Joakim Sundberg, steering a brand-new Botin-designed boat that had been launched just one month earlier. The Swedes had trained through winter on a Cape 31 on Palma waters and won the Trofeo Princesa Sofia a month prior, but this was their first time racing in the 52 SUPER SERIES proper. Sundberg, who counts his days on a TP52 helm on two hands and stepped on a race boat of any type less than two years ago, was still laser-focused at the finish.

“At the finish of the race I was just laser focused, locked in getting over the finish line. My heart rate was really high. The first day could not have gone better,” he said.

Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week

Day 1 results — Races 1 & 2

Bay of Palma, Mallorca • May 5, 2026

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Day Two: Alkedo‘s double bullet, Provezza stays consistent

Sunshine returned to the Bay of Palma on May 6, bringing a proper sea breeze that peaked at 16 knots before thunderclouds killed the thermal and forced the second race to be shortened at the second windward mark. Into that more familiar conditions stepped Alkedo Vitamina, with Cameron Appleton calling tactics. The Italian team, who had posted back-to-back ninth places on day one, won both races, crediting their pin-end starts and a new keel fitted over winter.

“It does not happen very often in this fleet,” Appleton said. “We put a new keel on in the winter and that gives us more weight in the bulb. Today the boat did the work.”

Despite Alkedo’s clean sweep, Ergin Imre’s Provezza moved into the overall lead on sheer consistency. With no score outside the top five across four races, the Turkish-flagged crew, led by the Argentinian afterguard pairing of Cole Parada and Santi Lange, held a six-point buffer.

Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week

Day 2 results — Races 3 & 4

Bay of Palma, Mallorca • May 6, 2026

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Day Three: Roller coaster on the offshore breeze

May 7 delivered two more races in shifting offshore winds and reshuffled the standings brutally. Provezza, who had looked so composed, plummeted to 13th in Race 5, handing the overall lead to Sled, whose third and second places reflected reliable pace in 12 to 16 knots and assured reads from afterguard Murray Jones and Francesco Bruni.

“We are very impressed by how the team is managing the pressure,” Bruni said. “Today we had two very good starts, starts have been the highlight of the week.”

The race wins went to Teasing Machine in Race 5 and Crioula in Race 6. For the Plass brothers’ Brazilian entry it was their first race win since the last regatta of 2024 in Valencia. Alkedo endured an equally painful reversal after their perfect day two, accumulating 20 points across the two races.

Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week

Day 3 results — Races 5 & 6

Bay of Palma, Mallorca • May 7, 2026

Day Four: Storms, a mast climb’s prequel, and Provezza reclaim the lead

Racing on May 8 was held hostage by stormy cells that disrupted the gradient breeze and delayed the start until nearly 4pm. Only one race could be completed. Provezza, backed in on the left side of the Bay of Palma, led all the way from the pin end to score their first race win of the week, a result made more significant by the fact their onboard computers failed in the rain, forcing navigator Nacho Postigo to call laylines manually.

“It was manual, like the old days,” Parada said, adding it was his first win as tactician after stepping up to the role at the last regatta of 2025.

Sled, by contrast, collected two consecutive penalties in the race and finished 13th, dropping to second overall. Harm Müller-Spreer’s Platoon Aviation had an even grimmer afternoon, picking up two penalties in quick succession, first crossing too close to No Way Back, then fouling Alegre while taking their penalty. Newcomer Pieter Heerema stole third on the finish line from Caballo Loco, lifting No Way Back to third overall heading into the final day.

Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week

Day 4 results — Race 7

Bay of Palma, Mallorca • May 8, 2026

Final Day: Peute goes up the mast, Sled win

The defining drama of May 9 arrived before a race was even started. Between the second-to-last and final races, Sled‘s halyard came free. Ivan Peute went up the mast with twelve minutes to the gun, lashed the head of the sail in place, and descended with under two minutes to spare. Sled, who had already won Race 8, then finished third in Race 9 to take the title.

Provezza unravelled in the final race, finishing 14th after ending up on the wrong side of the first upwind. It was a heartbreaking conclusion for a team that had led for much of the week. Platoon Aviation‘s second overall was their best result since finishing runners-up in Baiona the previous June.

No Way Back‘s third overall, on debut, was remarkable in its own right. Dutchman Pieter Heerema was racing the boat that won both the 2025 Worlds and season title as American Magic Quantum Racing, retaining 75 per cent of that crew, including tactician Terry Hutchinson and strategist Morgan Larson.

“Ivan, Ivan, Ivan!” echoed around the marina as Sled’s crew celebrated. Bruni was effusive about the team’s recovery from the previous day’s penalties.

“We are so happy. This is a team win. Our player of the day is Ivan our bowman. He is our MVP. He fixed our problem between the races. It was a huge problem. We would have had to race without a mainsail.”

Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week

Final day results — Races 8 & 9

Bay of Palma, Mallorca • May 9, 2026

The circuit now moves to Porto Cervo, Sardinia, for the Rolex TP52 World Championship from June 15 to 20.