“Sled” by owner Takashi Okura wins the Rolex TP 52 World Championship

The bay of Palma is a common setting for international nautical events, and is considered one of the most reliable venues in Europe for sailing. In 2019 it hosted the previous Rolex TP52 World Championship, crowning the German Harm Müller-Spreer’s “Platoon” as world champion, but the celebration of this 2021 edition in November due to the global pandemic added an additional dose of complexity to an already heavyweight competition. difficult in itself. Palma Bay offered very demanding conditions for teams and organization, very different from the stable winds that characterize it in summer.

Australian Tom Slingsby, voted Rolex World’s Best Sailor in 2010, was a tactician this week aboard the Plattner family’s “Phoenix”: “This time of year is very difficult, as the wind comes from the high seas. Palma can be a bit predictable in the summer, but in November it is an open game and the speed of the boat alone is not enough to win. That said, all you need to know is in the water in front of you, you just have to take a good look and discover the right course. ” More than ever, the ability to adapt to the environment was essential. Crews had to do their best to try to advance at the best pace in rapidly changing conditions. And Slingsby is an expert in the art of adaptation. Just a week before joining the “Phoenix” discipline, the London 2012 Olympic Laser Champion sailed aboard the maxi “Comanche” to set a new record in the 606-nautical-mile ocean classic Rolex Middle Sea Race. Before that, he led the Australia SailGP Team in their victory during the Spanish Sailing Grand Prix in Cádiz.

“Sometimes it is hard to go from approaching the starting line at 40 knots in SailGP to joining the TP52 class, where we approach the line at six or seven knots. The change of mentality can take me a day or two before I pick up the pace and the distances ”.

Slingsby’s adaptation was evidently fast. The South African team started with a perfect first day to position themselves as the first world leader. After defending his lead over the next two days, a rise in wind intensity on the penultimate day of racing added a new element to the equation. The dramatic explosion of the Phoenix spinnaker on the last leg of Regatta 7 opened the door for its closest rivals, who did not hesitate to seize the opportunity. Error is a very expensive luxury in such an even fleet.

After getting his third victory of the week in regatta 8, the “Sled” was placed in front of the general at the end of the fourth day. The crew led by New Zealand helmsman Murray Jones and Italian tactician Francesco Bruni led by a point to the tie between the American “Quantum Racing” and “Platoon”, with “Phoenix” one point behind. The battle for the title was more open than ever, and an exciting final day was anticipated.

Unfortunately, extreme northeast winds blowing in the racing area caused the last two scheduled races to be canceled. The timely reaction of the “Sled” the day before had come at the perfect time to secure the Rolex TP52 World Championship. Bruni, a three-time Olympian, America’s Cup and SailGP sailor, confirmed that this edition had been quite a challenge, especially for tacticians: “We have never seen Palma like this. It was incredible, in a hundred meters you could lose two hundred ”.

The Italian acknowledged that they lacked regularity, a basic ingredient in competition at this level, but they managed to make up for this lack thanks to the commitment and team spirit of the crew: “We were not very constant, but the same thing happened to everyone. Every ship had bad times and good times. We were very close as a crew, and I think that’s why we won: concentration and good teamwork. ”

The 2021 Rolex TP52 World Championship confirmed its status as a benchmark among one-design grand prix regattas. The ten participating teams displayed the highest level of skill and determination required to compete among this selection of sailing talents, maximizing the smallest margins and excelling when needed most. Once again, they demonstrated values ​​related to Rolex’s own philosophy and its Perpetual spirit: adaptation to the elements, constant search for improvement and maximum use of resources.

Rolex and sailing

Rolex has always been associated with activities motivated by passion, excellence, precision and team spirit. In a natural way, Rolex has gravitated towards the elite of yachting, forming an alliance that dates back to the 1950s with the most prestigious clubs, events, regattas and prominent figures of the sport such as the ocean pioneer Sir Francis Chichester or the most successful Olympic sailor in history, Sir Ben Ainslie. Today, Rolex is the main sponsor of 15 of the most important international sailing events: From iconic ocean regattas such as the Rolex Sydney Hobart (Australia) or the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race (United Kingdom), to one-design competition of the highest level such as the Rolex TP52 World Championship or magnificent meetings such as the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup (Italy) or the Rolex Swan Cup (Italy and the Caribbean). It also sponsors the spectacular SailGP circuit, in which national teams compete aboard flying F50 catamarans in some of the most impressive ports in the world. The close relationship of the Swiss watchmaker with clubs such as the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, the Royal Ocean Racing Club, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, the New York Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron forms the basis of Rolex’s long-standing relationship with it. exciting sport.

Rolex – an unmatched reputation for quality and expertise

Rolex is an independent and integrated Swiss watch manufacturer. Based in Geneva, the firm is recognized around the world for its experience and the quality of its products, symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. The machinery in your Oyster Perpetual and Cellini watches are COSC certified and valued for their precision, performance and reliability. The Superlative Certification, symbolized by the green seal, confirms that each watch has passed the demanding tests carried out by Rolex under strict quality criteria in its own laboratories, regularly supervised by an external organization. The term “Perpetual” is engraved on every Rolex Oyster. But more than just a word in a sphere, it is a philosophy that embodies the vision and values ​​of the company. Hans Wilsdorf, founder of Rolex, instilled a notion of perpetual excellence that drove the company forward. This led Rolex to pioneer the development of wristwatches and numerous innovations in watchmaking such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, or the Perpetual automatic rotor mechanism, invented in 1931. Rolex has registered more than 500 patents throughout its history. In its four production sites in Switzerland, the brand designs, develops and produces all the essential elements of its watches, from the casting of its gold parts to the machinery, the manufacture, the assembly and the finishing of the movement, the case, the dial and the bracelet. Rolex is also actively involved in supporting art and culture, sports and exploration, as well as all those working to find solutions to preserve the planet.