The fourth day of the Marina Rubicón Lanzarote 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week was cancelled due to gusts of wind exceeding 30 knots. The fleet, with Takashi Okura's Sled in the lead, will seek to resolve the championship this Saturday.
The fourth day of the Marina Rubicón Lanzarote 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week could not take place this Friday due to excessive wind, with gusts exceeding 30 knots on the southern coast of Lanzarote. The Race Committee, chaired by Alicante's María Torrijo, attempted to find a navigable area, but the conditions were deemed too harsh for competition.
Canarian Gustavo Martínez Doreste, a local expert on Andy Soriano's Alegre boat, explained that the weather report had already indicated stronger winds than in previous days. “The Committee made a good attempt to be in the place where there might be less wind, but the report was reinforced and the conditions were very tough. We saw 26-28 knots for long periods, with gusts above 30 knots,” Doreste noted. “There is usually wind, but such strong gradients are not that common.”
The decision to cancel the day was supported by the skippers. Adam Beashel, helmsman of the Sled, stated that “there has to be a limit. It could have been too risky, and there are many things that could have gone wrong.” Beashel highlighted the rarity of finding seven consecutive days with winds of at least 15 knots in the area.
After four days and five races held, Takashi Okura's Sled leads the provisional standings with 13 points, four ahead of the French Paprec helmed by Jean-Luc Petithuguenin and five ahead of the Italian Alkedo Vitamina led by Andrea Lacorte. The Sled, recently crowned world champion of TP52, seeks to consolidate its lead in the circuit.
The competition will resume this Saturday from 11:30 local time (12:30 in mainland Spain). The Race Committee will attempt to hold as many races as possible before the deadline of 15:30. According to Doreste, the wind will continue to play a key role: “Tomorrow looks similar, but it will depend on the heat, how the day starts with cloud cover… There will surely be quite a bit of wind, we just need to know if it will be in the desirable range.”
For Canarian fans, this event is an opportunity to see the best TP52 class teams in the waters of Lanzarote, a setting that has surprised with the intensity and consistency of the wind. The final day promises strong emotions, with the Sled trying to maintain its lead and the Paprec and Alkedo Vitamina pressing to snatch victory from it.
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