A windy practice race sets the scene for Marina Rubicón Lanzarote 52 Super Series Sailing Week

The strong winds and choppy waves off Lanzarote’s Playa Papagayo gave the 13 strong 52 SUPER SERIES fleet a solid insight into what lies ahead at the Marina Rubicón Lanzarote 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week as the official practice races proved and exciting, high speed test of boat handling and control. 

The fleet have put the light to moderate winds of the first two Mediterranean based behind them and the circuit’s first ever venture to Lanazarote looks set to deliver winds averaging as much as 20 knots and some tough, confused sea states. 

Andy Soriano’s Alegre and Ergin Imre’s Provezza were among the day’s outstanding performers as most of the fleet completed a high-speed, high octane practice circuit. Season championship leaders Sled and Jochem Sundberg’s World Championship runners up Trinity also showed well in the muscular conditions. 

“We learned today this is a ‘wavy’ place to sail!” smiled Alegre’s Italian navigator Francesco Mongelli “It is not an organised sea state. It was not easy for everybody. That part of the island in the north breeze we will see all week is a bit random where the wind shadow is and then there is one knot of current going against the wind. It was very demanding today. We had a fairly good start even if it would really have been a general recall and we went to the right corner and we were fast and mad the best decisions especially downwind.” Mongelli added. 

This regatta is the second for Alegre’s new tactician John Kostecki and Mongelli explains how the American is changing the dynamic on board for the better. 

“We just still need to just find our own self confidence again. Our crew work is good. John is one of the very top tacticians and he has a different way of operating. He is probably more of a pure tactician. He wants people to take responsibility. He is not getting into different areas,he wants people to fix their own issues. He is very specialist and it is not always like this. Quite often a tactician will get into the speed loop. John does not. It is easy to see why he is a winning tactician he is really good.” Mongelli concludes.

“It is really rough sailing here. It is a tough place for the race committee. We have lots of breeze on the west coast a transition in the middle and here at Pappagayo the winds are a bit milder but the waves are nasty especially as they don’t align with the wind.” Provezza’sArgentinian tactician Cole Parada reported. The 2023 season runners up were firing on all cylinders today and have Nick Heiner deputising as strategist. The Dutch 2020 Finn Olympian and 2014 Laser world champion has spent a lot of time training here and is fitting into the Provezza set up well. 

Parada concluded “We have been tweaking our rig settings a bit and today was the first day of that and so we will see. We are expecting two long, hard events in these conditions so anything can happen. We can learn. Nick is doing a great job and knows the area.”

Local intel
Local ace is Gustavo Martinez Doreste, Spain’s 470 Olympian in 2000 and 2004, who is a coach with Alegre. Although he grew up in Grand Canaria he has been living on Lanzarote for nearly 20 years. 

“The forecast is for moderate to strong winds all week. These are the typical trade winds of the Canary Islands, and once the anticyclone is over the Azores, the northerly winds become established. It’s guaranteed: it’s what we have 80% of the year.”

According to Martínez Doreste the Race Committee led by PRO María Torrijo, has a choiceof options to set the best racecourse each day: “It will depend on where you set it: downwindat Playa Blanca, the breeze tends to enter the channel through Papagayo or Pechiguera. There is a significant current parallel to the channel. Today for example, we had a strong southerly current. This is an important factor, and the waves are very varied, which is why it’s such an interesting place to train in all kinds of conditions. You can have anything from a large swell if you go east and southeast, closer to Lobos, where there’s a drop in depth and currents converge; choppy waves if you go closer to Papagayo and up to the east coast of the island, the same at Montaña Roja. And to the west there is a more oceanic wave. In front of the channel, you have flat seas, shifts, and pressure differences. It’s a great place to race.” 

Racing starts Tuesday and tuns through to Saturday. Tuesday’s warning signal is planned for midday local time (1100hrs UTC). Follow the live stream on the 52 SUPER SERIES platforms 

Marina Rubicon Lanzarote 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week. Entries

Alegre (GBR), Andy Soriano
Alpha + (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang
Alkedo Vitamina (ITA), Andrea Lacorte
Crioula (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass
Gladiator (GBR), Tony Langley
No Way Back (NED), Pieter Heerema
Paprec (FRA), Jean-Luc Petithuguenin
Platoon Aviation (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer
Provezza (TUR), Ergin Imre
Sled, Takashi Okura
Teasing Machine (FRA), Eric de Turckheim
Trinity Racing (SWE), Joakim Sundberg
Vayu (THA), Whitcraft Family

52 SUPER SERIES 2026 Provisional Leaderboard after two of five regattas

1. Sled, Takashi Okura, 42+47 = 89 pts
2. Platoon Aviation (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 51+53 = 104     
3. Alkedo Vitamina (ITA), Andrea Lacorte, 58+56 = 114    
4. No Way Back (NED), Pieter Heerema, 52+69 = 121 
5. Trinity Racing (SWE), Joakim Sundberg, 73+49 = 122    
6. Alpha + (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang, 67+55 = 122  
7. Provezza (TUR), Ergin Imre, 56+71 = 127  
8. Paprec (FRA), Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, 72+61 = 133   
9. Crioula (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass, 59+76 = 135    
10. Gladiator (GBR), Tony Langley, 59+88 = 147    
11. Vayu (THA), Whitcraft Family, 86+73 = 159   
12. Alegre (GBR), Andy Soriano, 90+72 = 162  
13. Teasing Machine (FRA), Eric de Turckheim, 83+82 = 165 
14. Caballo Loco (BRA), Mauro Dottori & Fabio Cotrim, 100+102 = 202
15. Vudu (ITA), Mauro Gestri, 135+126 = 261