What The Sailors Said After Day 1 - 52 Super Series - Valencia

Niklas Zennström (SWE) Owner-Driver Rán:

Photo: © Martinez Studio / 52 SuperSeries

“It was very difficult conditions today with a very choppy sea so this is also a day not to have a shocker. With this fleet it's about if you can stay consistently in the top four I think you're going to be winning the regatta. We are very, very, pleased with the results today.

"Morgan called the tactics amazingly well and I think the boat was going okay. I don't know if we were quicker than the others but i think that Morgan, Adam and Steve did a very good job in the afterguard.

"Morgan’s very laid back but he's also very talented and together with Adam and Steve we've been working really well so far but all the boats have very, very, good afterguards here so if we can keep this up it's going to be amazing but I know that we will have some challenging races as well. You can just see on the lay line on the top mark if you're ahead it's easier but if you are in the group it is pretty difficult.

"It's always a challenge when you have a new design and you don't know how the boat is going to go. I think we're quite happy with the boat but there is so little in it that I think that nobody is going to win this regatta or the 52 SUPER SERIES this year just because they have the quicker boat. It is going to be who has the best team and who sails the best.”

Kelvin Harrap (NZL) Strategist Alegre (GBR): 

Photo: © Martinez Studio / 52 SuperSeries

“We did Palma Vela a few weeks ago and we learned a lot from there. We worked on our starting since then and we got two good starts today which put us in a good position in first beat. The key was mainly the starting that was not so good in Palma. It was a very left hand track in Palma so we have worked on starting mainly. But it’s a new boat so we are still learning every day, even now we learned a lot today too. 

"This is really our second time sailing above 15 knots. So it's just today about learning the angles down-wind and still the simple things like going the right way. It's a great class I've had a lot of fun so far. And winning? Well, I have to say we are pleasantly surprised. The left was pretty strong and between John Kostecki and myself, we really wanted the left and it worked out well.”

Guillermo Parada (ARG) Skipper-Helm Azzurra: 

Photo: © Martinez Studio / 52 SuperSeries

“It was a nervous day, nothing special, but we managed to survive in a day that wasn’t going our way. We aren’t satisfied but it’s fine. We need to go into tomorrow thinking that it’s a new beginning and start all over again like we always do. We’re confident in our boat and in our team, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

52 Super Series Media