52 Super Series Porto Cervo - Range Rover Sailing Week Day 1: Sled is the first leader

The fleet of 13 TP52s racing today in the waters off Porto Cervo, 52 Super Series - Porto Cervo - Range Rover Sailing Week © Nico Martinez / 52 Super Series

At 12 noon (CEST), the Race Committee, chaired by PRO Maria Torrijo, started the first race of the 52 Super Series - Porto Cervo - Range Rover Sailing Week with a Mistral wind of 9-10 knots, increasing to 18 knots during the day.

After the first day's two windward-leeward races Takashi Okura's American flagged Sled, with Checco Bruni as tactician, leads the way with a fourth and second place today. Second in the provisional standings is the South African team Phoenix with Tom Slingsby as tactician, taking third and fourth today. Vasco Vascotto's tactical choices led Harm Muller Spreer's Platoon Aviation to victory in the first race, making a fine recovery which saw them overtaking the French flagged Paprec on the last downwind leg.

At the start of the second race, which was subject to a general recall, Platoon Aviation were hit by Gladiator, forcing the Race 1 winners to retire to make repairs to the right side of the stern. Thanks to a 6.5 point redress (half of 13 points, the maximum), Platoon was able to limit the damage and finish third in the provisional standings, with a view to clinching third place overall on the circuit.

After the first two races, Sled leads the provisional overall standings of the event - photo © Nico Martinez / 52 Super Series

The second race was won by Hong Kong's Alpha+ with Adrian Stead as tactician, making up for the first race where they finished at the back of the fleet. Second and third were Sled and Alegre respectively, the latter making a comeback after an early start required them to restart at the back of the fleet.

Racing will resume tomorrow at 10.30 CEST, earlier than usual due to the expected strengthening of the Mistral during the day.

The Porto Cervo event is supported by Range Rover, an institutional partner of the YCCS, reaffirming the brand's strong ties with the nautical world.

Rolex is Official Timekeeper of the 52 Super Series and an institutional partner of the YCCS.

Live streaming of racing at the 52 Super Series - Porto Cervo - Range Rover Sailing Week will be available online. Updates from the race course will be posted on the YCCS Instagram account.

More information and full results at www.52superseries.com