Paprec has seized control of the Marina Rubicón Lanzarote regatta with a masterclass in blustery conditions. Jean-Luc Petithuguenin’s French crew, reinforced by Vendée Globe runner-up Yoann Richomme as navigator, sit tied at the top after two gloriously wild races that claimed seven or eight spinnakers and tested every crew’s composure in gusts pushing 27 knots.
The first two days were pure powder keg sailing. Paprec snatched race one while Sled, the circuit’s defending World Champions, showed the kind of tactical audacity that has made them feared operators all season. Takashi Okura’s team launched a stunning port tack start in race one, crossing the entire fleet to lead the first mark by 50 metres. Yet Paprec’s consistency proved the difference, posting a second in race one and a decisive win in race two when the conditions truly cranked up.
Both boats sit on three points, though Paprec holds the tiebreak. It’s a split that reflects just how evenly matched these two crews are when the pressure builds. “I lost my connection to all the electronics before the first race and so sat down and did it with a compass, old school,” Richomme said, grinning at the irony of navigating one of the world’s most competitive grand prix boats with nothing but a magnetic compass. “It was incredible. Loick Peyron was amazing as tactician, weaving us through the holes in the wind and through the fleet.”
What separated Paprec and Sled from the rest wasn’t raw speed alone. It was execution under duress. Both crews sailed with zero breakdowns, zero mistakes, and the discipline to know when to back off downwind. “Keeping the boat and everything in one piece was key,” noted Sled’s mainsail trimmer Don Cowie. “We saw 27 knots in that second race with some big squalls. The key was to get round without breaking a spinnaker, without breaking anything or anyone.”
Behind the leaders, Andrea Lacorte’s Alkedo Vitamina sits third on 10 points, one ahead of Shawn and Tina Kang’s Alpha Plus. Racing resumes Wednesday from midday, with the Canary Islands’ famous tradewinds forecast to stay strong and unforgiving.
