Alpha Plus has seized control of the Rolex TP52 World Championship in Porto Cervo with a clinical display of race-craft that suggests Shawn Kang’s Hong Kong crew has arrived in Sardinia hungry for the title. Owner Kang received a birthday gift worth its weight in silverware on day two, when Adrian Stead’s tactics and Ian Moore’s navigation steered the boat to a third and a first, matching yesterday’s standout performance across the fleet.
Bouncing back from opening day disappointment—a pair of 12th places—Alpha Plus has run up a scoreline of 2,1,3,1 to edge Sled on the tiebreak. Both crews sit on 31 points at the halfway mark of the championship, with four races remaining over the weekend.
Stead’s influence on the racing has been unmistakable. Rather than chase risks, Alpha Plus focused on clean starts and meticulous first-upwind execution, the kind of methodical sailing that separates contenders from winners in fleet racing. Luke Van Der Kamp, project manager aboard, kept the analysis simple: “We just kept things simple and followed our plan, stuck to our processes, didn’t take risks and worked hard. The boat is quick, we are fast.” That consistency showed up at every mark.
Light winds between 9 and 11 knots bred razor-tight racing across the 15-boat fleet from 11 nations. Mark roundings became a chess match; inches counted for everything.
Harm Müller-Spreer’s Platoon Aviation sits third on 33 points, just two behind the leaders. The German crew has three world titles between them, and Müller-Spreer sounded unbowed: “Our speed is good now and right now I have the feeling that the boat is up to top performance. For sure we can win the world title from here but there are five boats tied together that have a chance and we need a little bit of luck and to stay calm and we can win it.”
Sled’s Adam Beashel steered a steady course to fifth and second place. His boat’s upwind setup is sharp enough to keep them in the hunt, though Beashel acknowledged the mental toll of racing this tight. “It is a game of inches and that was especially the case on some of these crosses. It is fantastic, tight racing but you don’t get to look around and enjoy it much.”
Paprec and No Way Back round out the top five, both lurking just three points adrift. Only three points separate the top five. Four races remain—everything is still to play for.
