Paprec seized control of the Rolex TP52 World Championship in Porto Cervo after four races, with Jean-Luc Petithuguenin’s French crew posting their sharpest performance of 2026 to date. A race win and third-place finish in light, settled conditions gave them a two-point buffer atop the 15-boat fleet, though consistency remains the holy grail in these champagne breezes where recovery is brutally difficult once you’ve dropped the ball.
But Paprec’s strong day was nearly upstaged by Alpha Plus, the Hong Kong boat steered by Nick Egnot-Johnson. The youthful helm paired back-to-back bullets—a first and second—to vault into contention. It’s a telling combination: Ado Stead and Ian Moore, both former TP52 world champions, anchoring the afterguard alongside double America’s Cup winner Craig Monk. “We came in to the season with a little bit less time on the water than other teams, so it took a little bit to get caught up,” project manager Luke Van Der Kamp explained. “But today we feel like we’re dialled in. The team talk was to go out and be solid and unspectacular.” That restraint—avoiding yesterday’s risks—paid off, landing them fifth overall.
The second race proved instructive. Paprec led at the first top mark but Alpha Plus turned the tables when the wind direction shifted right, opening escape routes across the course. Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back, carrying nine members of last year’s champion American Magic Quantum Racing, scraped back from 15th to eighth through the same shift. Day one leader Sled dropped to third after an expensive 12-point performance in race four.
Paprec’s ocean racing legend Loïck Peyron was visibly buoyed by the turnaround. “We had a good first race after a good start,” he said, grinning. “The second one wasn’t so good at the beginning, but we’re sailing well. I felt very aware today, in tune with what was going on.” The French crew finished second at last year’s World Championship in Cascais before losing the title on the final day. Here in Porto Cervo, they’re showing similar poise. “There’s such a big fight and I still love it,” Peyron added, capturing the raw intensity of TP52 racing where clear wind becomes currency and tactical patience separates the winners from the rest.
No Way Back sits two points adrift in second, while Sled’s 18-point day consigned them to third. The championship continues in conditions that suit the smoothest operators—crews who can thread the needle between aggression and restraint.
