Irish in Action in TP52 World Championship in Barcelona

22nd August 2023

Two Irish sailors are competing in the Rolex TP52 World Championship in Barcelona, Spain. The red hot competition features a fleet of 10 boats from seven different nations

The Rolex TP52 World Championship has kicked off in Barcelona, Spain, with no clear favourite emerging yet. As the America's Cup teams intensify their training and testing off the Barcelona waters, all eyes are on the TP52 fleet, with sailors holding personal history, national allegiance, or a profound interest in the sport.

The competition features a fleet of 10 boats from seven different nations, all set to line up on the open and challenging race arena. More than half of the teams are widely considered to have an equally realistic chance of securing the 2023 world title.

The Irish sailors participating in the event are Fastnet Race winner and 44 Cup regular Cian Guilfoyle of Dun Laoghaire Harbor, who is racing on the New York Yacht Club team Sled. Meanwhile, Belfast Lough navigator Ian Moore is racing on Interlodge.

Quantum Racing, the reigning world champions, are still a force to reckon with, despite fielding a new team of younger sailors. The US-flagged team has been close in Saint-Tropez, Scarlino, and Menorca but has not won a regatta this year. For the Barcelona event, Quantum Racing powered by American Magic will welcome the return of American Magic’s highly successful Terry Hutchinson as tactician. Hutchinson's return will rekindle one of the grand prix sailing's most enduring rivalries as he is pitched once more up against Italy’s Vasco Vascotto, a past Rolex TP52 World Champion with Azzurra.

Platoon, led by the German-flagged crew and tactician Vasco Vascotto, is also in the running for the world title. The team arrives in Barcelona fresh from winning a very close Mahon, Menorca regatta. Platoon is twice winner of the world title - 2017 in Scarlino and 2019 in Puerto Portals - and is hungry for another world title.

The Barcelona waters can hold surprises, and the world championship regattas must always be tackled full-on at 100 per cent, every slightest mistake penalises the teams. The world is watching as the Quantum Racing and Platoon teams battle it out for the Rolex TP52 World Championship title in Barcelona.

Published in Racing, TP52

Published in Racing

Tagged under

TP52

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