Paprec broke their duck at the 52 SUPER SERIES in the most dramatic fashion imaginable, holding their nerve through two bruising final races in Lanzarote to claim their first regatta win after 17 years in the Grand Prix monohull circus. Jean-Luc Petithuguenin’s French crew finished on 24 points, two clear of Andrea Lacorte’s Alkedo Vitamina and five ahead of defending world champions Sled, who stumbled when it mattered most.
The deciding moment came in race seven. Alkedo jumped the start gun in tricky conditions with a strong current pushing boats toward the line, leaving them to fight back from a penalty. Paprec sailed a controlled race, reading the shifting breeze and working through the fleet methodically. By the final run, they had fourth place locked down while Sled—flying high after winning the world title earlier this year—fell foul of the match racing gods again, dropping to tenth after a separate penalty. Alkedo clawed their way back to fifth, but the damage was done.
For Petithuguenin, the victory carries particular weight. His team came agonisingly close to world championship glory in Cascais last July in similar breezy conditions, only to be pipped by American Magic Quantum Racing by a single point. This time, they refused to blink. Loick Peyron’s tactics work from the pit combined with Vendée Globe runner-up Yoann Richomme calling angles from the nav station proved the winning combination in their first season together.
Petithuguenin, emotional on the dock, told the crowd he had waited for this moment since 2009. “I started with nothing, with my family 30 years ago at my first regatta with Stephane Névé in Brest,” he said. “For me it’s incredible—a small French team from Brittany able to win against the very best in the world of sailing. I’m so happy.” He promised champagne for everyone when Paprec returned to Lanzarote.
Névé, the mainsheet trimmer who has been with Petithuguenin since those early days, blinked back tears at the finish. “We have been waiting 17 years for this win,” he said. “We lost our helm during the final race and had to work the boat the whole way through, so it has been really up and down for emotions.” He dedicated the win to crewmates no longer with them, including kite trimmer Olivier Camebourg, who died suddenly in 2024.
Sled’s circuit lead now stands at 17 points over Platoon Aviation, with Alkedo third. The fleet heads north to Puerto Calero next month, where another window opens for the chasing pack to reel in Takashi Okura’s slick operation. Two penalties in successive races today is uncharacteristic for the world champions, but in Grand Prix sailing, margins evaporate fast.
