Teasing Machine’s resurgence and Crioula’s Brazilian flair lit up Puerto Portals on day three of the 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week, but Sled’s grip on the leaderboard remains firm. After six races, Takashi Okura’s crew hold a nine-point buffer over Provezza and Platoon Aviation, locked together on 34 points, while the Brazilian challenge from Crioula sits just one point further back.
The day delivered two crackling races on the back of a steady north-easterly breeze, gusting to 18 knots and never quite easy to read. Eric de Turckheim’s Teasing Machine bounced back from two difficult days to grab the first race. The French boat, alongside Alpha+ and Sled, found the pressure on the right side of the course and didn’t look back. Alkedo made a messy start with an early recall but stormed back to fourth by the first mark, only to cede ground to Trinity Racing as the three leaders established clear air and rhythm.
The second race belonged to Crioula. The Plass brothers’ Brazilian entry read the subtle wind rotation perfectly, rounding the top mark first ahead of Provezza, Alegre and No Way Back. Samuel Albrecht, calling tactics, knew exactly what his crew had done right. “In the first race we wanted to go right but got blocked,” he explained afterwards. “In the second, we had a clear plan. Once the pin stabilised, I knew we could win. When you’re ahead, everything gets simpler.” Sled held second throughout, their consistency once again the hallmark of genuine firepower in a fleet bristling with talent.
What’s emerging from these six races is a fleet of genuine balance. No boat can afford a bad start, no crew can rely on yesterday’s pattern. Platoon Aviation’s Víctor Marino acknowledged the tactical demands: “Jordi Calafat and Vasco Vascotto have been working hard on how to structure races differently with 14 boats. The fleet is so even, though a couple of boats stand out for pure pace, Alkedo and Sled among them.”
Francesco Bruni, steering Sled’s tactics, pointed to starting as the week’s weapon. “The team has worked brilliantly on positioning and attacking the line. When you’re fast, that helps you reach the wind shifts. Today it was about finding the right jumps.” The crew absorbed a collision penalty at the leeward mark that cost them dearly, yet their recovery speaks to depth and poise under pressure.
Crioula’s Albrecht flagged a learning curve in lighter airs between 8 and 11 knots, where his team still find their feet. Above 12 knots, they’re at home. “Having another Brazilian boat here helps grow our sailing movement back home,” he said. “Every day we learn from the bow to the shore team and take it back to Brazil.”
Two more days remain until Saturday when the first seasonal leader will be crowned. The battle is wide open.
