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Anyone who learned to sail as a child and has successfully sailed in regattas in the Optimist or another dinghy sometimes cannot let go of their enthusiasm for sailing - for "wind and waves". We report on sailors, coaches and skippers, their teams and the boats, for example about:
Jochen Schümann began his sailing career at the age of twelve as a self-made optimist. At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal (Canada) he won the gold medal in the Finn dinghy. The European TP 52 races on the Mediterranean (MedCup) were jokingly referred to as the “little America’s Cup” because its sailors also competed against each other in the TP 52. Jochen Schümann (Team Alinghi) was also represented in 2007.
Harm Müller-Spreer is a trained sailmaker and multiple world and European champion in the kite boat class. In a highly exciting finish, the Hamburg native and his professional crew on the “Platoon” prevailed against the competing Turkish yacht “Provezza” at the 2023 Rolex TP 52 World Championship off Barcelona and sailed to the coveted title with an eight-point lead.
Constantly assess goals, opportunities and risks
Just like with a dinghy Opti or Finn Dinghy, on a TP 52 you set yourself the mental goal of arriving at your destination in the shortest possible time. The other boats have the same goal, so it's like a “regatta” on a large scale, not as solo sailors, but as a team. Good communication and satisfaction on board are an important success factor! The team must be able to cope with bad results. Cup sailing requires the team to make a wealth of tactical decisions, always considering:
“Wind and waves” require constant observation in order to optimally change the course to be sailed through a “tack or gybe”. The tactician on board must constantly assess the opportunity and risk, e.g. before the start it must be observed whether higher chances are to be expected due to the wind conditions on the left or right side of the regatta field. You can achieve greater chances if you adjust the speed of the boat by trimming the sail area. It is always important to reduce the emotional, mental and physical risk for the team on board and to avoid damage to the yacht.
In a highly exciting finish, Harm Mueller-Spreer from Hamburg and his professional crew on the “Platoon” prevailed against the competing Turkish yacht “Provezza” at the Rolex TP52 World Championship off Barcelona and sailed to the coveted title with an eight-point lead. The 470 world champions 2022 Luise Wanser and Philipp Autenrieth from the German Sailing Team were also on board during the training, according to the motto “World Champion to World Champion” set out by Harm Mueller-Spreer.
The helmsman Harm Mueller-Spreer was assisted by the Italian Vasco Vascotto as a tactician. The Turkish team “Provezza” came in silver ahead of the British “Gladiator”. Hasso and Tina Plattner came fourth with their “Phoenix”. Source: 08/29/2023 German Sailing Association, Photo: Lionel Schurch/ Rolex SA.
“Platoon’s” new tactician Vasco Vascotto was relieved and happy after the finale: “We have seen huge improvements since the beginning of the week in terms of communication and satisfaction on board. The best moment really came after the bad result the day before. I had the feeling that we were a real team because we got through this bad moment as a team in a good atmosphere. The good results today came with the ability to overcome the bad results as a team.” Source: Tatjana Pokorny, October 1st, 2022, photo: Nico Martinez/52 Super Series.
At the “boot” trade fair in Duesseldorf (Germany), Jochen was a guest at the Optimist class association’s stand. In addition to the Opti, he was also able to control a TP 52 on the PC. There are several types of boats to choose from in the Tactical Sailing program, including the TP 52 in several colors. Operating the TP 52 is easy: with 1 click you can tack, jibe, luff or bear away. The computer program simulates the process of a regatta from start to finish. With tactical sailing boats - including a modelTP 52 - you can play and learn tactics. You will receive tactical tips from experienced sailors and trainers. The story of the TP 52 began in 2000 when a group of Californian sailors were looking for a new racing class. They wanted a planing design of about 50 feet that was easy to sail, could handle short "all-around races" and could glide across the Pacific in a hurry.
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