Irish Sailors Win 52 SUPER SERIES Title With Platoon Aviation

10th October 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Platoon Aviation crew celebrate winning the 2026 52 SUPER SERIES championship in Valencia with Irish sailors Grattan Roberts and Oisín McClelland

Title Triumph — The Platoon Aviation crew celebrate winning the 2026 52 SUPER SERIES season championship in Valencia, with Irish sailors Grattan Roberts and Oisín McClelland among the winning team Credit: TP52 Class

Irish sailors Grattan Roberts and Oisín McClelland have won the 2026 52 SUPER SERIES season championship aboard Harm Müller-Spreer's German-flagged Platoon Aviation, completing a five-regatta campaign with a 30-point advantage over their nearest rivals.

The championship was decided on Saturday (10 October) off Valencia, Spain, where Platoon Aviation finished third in the final regatta to secure the overall season title with 216 points, ahead of Takashi Okura's Sled on 246.

It is Platoon's second season championship, following its 2023 victory, and comes after a closely contested campaign against Sled, which won the opening two regattas, including the Rolex TP52 World Championship in Sardinia.

The Irish involvement was highlighted in Afloat's preview of the Valencia title showdown, which identified Roberts and McClelland aboard Platoon Aviation and Cian Guilfoyle and Simon Johnson with rival Sled.

Platoon Extends Championship Advantage

Platoon Aviation arrived in Valencia with an 11-point advantage over Sled and extended that margin to 30 points by the conclusion of Saturday's racing.

The German team recorded four podium finishes across the five-event season, including victory at the Royal Cup in Puerto Calero, Lanzarote.

The team had finished fifth overall in 2025, but modifications to its TP52, including a new keel, contributed to improved performance this season.

Owner-driver Harm Müller-Spreer described the championship victory as a major achievement against a fleet featuring some of the world's leading professional sailors.

"I mean this is such a big honour to win in a fleet like this against all these great professionals, all these super advanced teams and a record fleet of 16 boats on the start lines here," he said.

Platoon's Italian tactician Vasco Vascotto, celebrating his 57th birthday, secured his fifth 52 SUPER SERIES season title.

"We are very, very happy, especially because we know that this event could have gone one way or the other," Vascotto said.

He credited the crew and shore team for their contribution to the championship success.

Valencia Victory Goes to Alkedo Cetilar

While Platoon Aviation claimed the season championship, the final regatta in Valencia was won by Andrea Lacorte's Italian entry Alkedo Cetilar.

Alkedo secured the event title with 36 points after finishing second in Saturday's final race, seven points ahead of Dutch entry No Way Back.

Platoon Aviation finished third in Valencia on 45 points, while Sled placed eighth on 64.

The result also secured third place in the season standings for Alkedo Cetilar, behind Platoon Aviation and Sled.

Final 2026 Championship Standings

The leading five teams after five regattas were:

Platoon Aviation (GER) – Harm Müller-Spreer – 216 points
Sled – Takashi Okura – 246 points
Alkedo Cetilar (ITA) – Andrea Lacorte – 253 points
No Way Back (NED) – Pieter Heerema – 277 points
Trinity Racing (SWE) – Joakim Sundberg – 290 points

The championship concludes a season in which Platoon Aviation recovered from equipment problems earlier in the campaign to secure the overall title, with Roberts and McClelland among the Irish sailors competing at the highest level of international grand prix keelboat racing.

Published in TP52, Northern Ireland Waters

Published in TP52

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