Four races into Marina Rubicón Lanzarote’s 52 Super Series Sailing Week, and Paprec has seized control. The French crew’s consistency across a gale-force programme has opened a two-point lead, with Jean-Luc Petithuguenin’s team sitting on eight points as conditions continue to bite hard in the Canaries, winds regularly topping 25 knots and chucking the fleet around with unpredictable shifts at the windward mark.
Race one went to Paprec with a dominant display. They rounded the top mark first after a solid upwind, then extended under spinnaker to build a lead of over 400 metres by the finish. Provezza had led at the top mark but lost their kite; Platoon Aviation, which had threatened the lead, had to bail out on the approach to the mark to avoid a collision.
The second race told a different story for Paprec, though the result held firm. They mistimed their approach to the pin end start and had to shoot the buoy, then fought back through the fleet in chaotic conditions to grab fourth place. Platoon Aviation made the better start but lost their spinnaker at a critical moment, handing the race to Sled’s Takashi Okura, who bagged his second win of the event.
Hong Kong’s Alpha Plus proved the standout performer on the day, securing two consecutive second places to tighten their grip on third overall, five points clear of Andrea Lacorte’s Alkedo Vitamina. Shawn and Tina Kang’s crew have sailed smart racing in treacherous conditions, avoiding the gear failures that have hampered others. Sled, despite their first race mishap, remain hunters-up on ten points.
Stephane Névé, Paprec’s project manager and mainsail trimmer, credited the team’s tactical work upwind and good boatspeed. “When you are leading, you don’t need to gybe too much,” he said. “We need to minimise risk all the time.”
Ian Moore, navigating for Alpha Plus, acknowledged the brutal nature of the racing. “It’s really hard out there. Really shifty, especially at the top of the course. Lumpy with a lot of current and breezy. But we’re trying to make sure we avoid the gear failures we’re seeing elsewhere.”
The regatta reaches its midpoint on Thursday, with Gladiator missing both races after damaging their forestay. Paprec’s poise under pressure suggests they have more to give.
