Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week Practice Race

by 52 Super Series 4 May 18:19 BST 4-9 May 2026

52 Super Series fleet fully primed for season start in Puerto Portals © Nico Martinez / 52 Super Series

For all that most of the teams have enjoyed the perfect 'dress rehearsal' competing at the three day PalmaVela regatta on the same Bay of Palma waters, and then today contesting two short, sharp practice races, the sense of anticipation and excitement is as keenly felt as ever at Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week ahead of Tuesday's first races of the 2026 52 SUPER SERIES season.

With 14 boats set to line up, representing 11 different nations, the level is higher than ever. Today's practice contests highlighted how each start and mark rounding will be more crowded leaving no margin for error, the gaps between boats are smaller and the opportunities to lose multiple places are increased.

What have we learned from these 'warm up days'?

The three new teams - Pieter Heerema's Dutch flagged No Bay Back, Joakim Sundberg's Swedish Trinity and the Brazilian crew on Mauro Dottori and Fabio Cotrim's Caballo Loco - can all harbour realistic hopes of success. Heerema's crew, most of them ex American Magic Quantum Racing, won the PalmaVela regatta comfortably. The Dutch owner-driver took a day off today be fully charged up for Tuesday and his first ever 52 SUPER SERIES races.

"So I have been learning to concentrate so much more, to really stay focused and to keep on watching the speed and the angles." Explained the 52 SUPER SERIES first timer Hereema "You get so much information and as the helmsman you have to filter it, sometimes you filter out the wrong things and you get told in no uncertain terms!, I am new to the class and I am not 35 any more. You have to be humble."

Despite being new to the TP52 and the circuit, Swedish debutants Trinity sailed a solid PalmaVela and today finished third in the second short practice race, contested in 10-12kts of breeze.

America's Cup winner Ed Baird Trinity's tactician said, "What we have seen is that we have moments when we can do a lot of things well, but at this stage our entire motivation every day is just to try and do better than we did yesterday. Every once in a while it is nice to have a moment up there, but we realise that it is going to be hard work. The whole group all realise that we are not the best at anything right now. We have plans to go there but the way to get there is to do better tomorrow than we did today. We have to be careful to compare ourselves to ourselves and not compare ourselves to teams who have bene doing this for many years."

Brazil's Crioula Team finished second at PalmaVela and won the first practice race today with Caballo Loco third. Crioula have worked Palma's winning formula consistently - start on the left end of the line and go left - and that paid handsomely, but the only team on the circuit to not win a single race last year are also sailing fast and now have bucketloads of confidence.

Tony Langley's Gladiator team also issued warning of their undoubted potential when they won the second, single lap race today. Guille Parada is steering with Victor Diaz de Leon calling tactics - a super potent combo.

And Andrea Lacorte's Alkedo - built as Azzurra - has proven quick with a new appendage package and should be a podium contender this season.

Racing runs Tuesday to Saturday.

Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week, entries: