Photography by Kurt Arrigo/Rolex
03 July 2026
Against the spectacular backdrop of the Costa Smeralda, Takashi Okura’s Sled has won the Rolex TP52 World Championship 2026, securing one of grand prix monohull racing’s most coveted titles for a second time.
Hosted by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, the regatta brought together a record fleet of 15 TP52 entries, sailed by some of the sport’s leading owner-drivers and professional crews.
After five days of close racing, Sled emerged as the benchmark team, adding the 2026 crown to the world championship title it previously won in 2021.
The 2026 edition also marked the 10th year of Rolex title sponsorship of the TP52 World Championship. The event sits at the pinnacle of the annual 52 SUPER SERIES, of which Rolex is also Official Timepiece, and continues the Swiss watchmaker’s long association with elite sailing.
In a fleet where small margins routinely decide results, Sled’s victory was built on consistency rather than dominance. Across the nine-race championship, the team recorded just one race win, but repeatedly finished near the front of the fleet to secure the title.
“Consistency was the key,” said Sled tactician Francesco Bruni, a three-time Olympian. “We avoided unnecessary risks, but when we did take risks, they were calculated and played to our strengths.
“We had good leads at times, but the competition is so tight that no lead ever feels big enough.”
Project manager and mainsheet trimmer Don Cowie said the record fleet had made this year’s championship especially demanding.
We haven’t seen a 15-boat fleet at the Rolex TP52 Worlds before, and that made the racing incredibly competitive,” said Cowie, a past Olympic silver medallist.
“If you look through the entries, there were several teams that started with a chance of winning. Fortunately, we sailed well when it mattered most.”
Sled has been one of the most consistent performers on the 52 SUPER SERIES circuit in recent seasons. The team finished second overall last year and won the final event of the season, also held in Porto Cervo.
Bruni said the team’s latest world title reflected not only performance on the water, but the strength of the program behind it.
“This team keeps getting stronger and stronger, thanks to the owner who gives us the tools we need to perform at our best,” he said.
“We feel a responsibility to perform for him, and that’s what makes this such a great team.”
Agustin Zulueta, chief executive officer of the 52 SUPER SERIES, said the 2026 championship had delivered racing worthy of its record entry.
“We have enjoyed a superb week of racing, impeccably hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda,” he said.
“Conditions on the Costa Smeralda have given us grand prix competition befitting a record fleet where the level of skill and passion on display has been of the highest standard.”
Finishing second overall, Sweden’s Trinity, owned by Joakim Sundberg, was one of the standout teams of the regatta. Competing at its first Rolex TP52 World Championship, Trinity closed the event strongly by winning the final two races.
Tactician Ed Baird, a former Rolex World Sailor of the Year, said the result showed the demands of the class.
The TP52 class is the best monohull racing in the world,” Baird said. “It is close, it is hard, it is intense.
“You have to have a team that is ready to fight for every metre. Whether good or bad things are happening, the crew has to stay settled. Every race counts. Every point is important.”
With a record fleet, high-pressure racing and one of the sport’s most experienced teams returning to the top, the 2026 Rolex TP52 World Championship underlined the depth and intensity of the TP52 class.
For Sled, the title was a reward for precision, preparation and consistency in one of the most demanding arenas in world sailing.
rolex.com
52superseries.com/event/porto-cervo
