Team Gladiator
All British team do battle in Majorca
The entire 2020 52 SUPER SERIES racing season, together with the first three events of 2021 – St Tropez, Bayonne and Valencia – like so many sporting events, were all cancelled due to Covid restrictions.
But this week (August 24-28), Puerto Portals Sailing Week is going ahead as scheduled, as the world gradually gets back to pre-Covid normality.
The regatta has attracted sixteen teams from twelve different nationalities with seven invited boats of different generations racing on the Bay of Palma, off the Spanish Mediterranean island of Majorca, alongside the nine 52 SUPER SERIES contenders. It is the largest number of TP 52’s assembled in well over a decade.
16 teams from 12 different nationalities are competing at Puerto Portals Sailing Week, August 24-28.
Stalwart of the modern fleet, the Langley Holdings Gladiator Sailing Team, is fielding an all-British race team for the first 52 SUPER SERIES event since 2019.
The Gladiator line up includes an impressive roll-call of Olympic, America’s Cup and World Championship sailors, including:
Giles Scott, Olympic gold medalist in the Finn class in Tokyo and at Rio de Janeiro and the British Americas Cup INEOS TEAM UK challenge tactician in Auckland earlier this year, joins the team as strategist.
Paul Goodison, Olympic gold medalist in the Laser class in Beijing, multiple World Championship gold medalist in the Melges 20 and Moth classes and the only Brit to sail on the American Magic Americas Cup team in Auckland, is calling tactics.
Nick Hutton (upwind trim), Dave “Freddie” Carr (grinder), Ben Cornish (main sheet trim), Ed Powys (grinder), Tom Cheney (navigator) and Rob Wilson (coach) all also represented Britain in INEOS TEAM UK’s America’s Cup Challenge in Auckland.
Completing team principal and helmsman Tony Langley’s all-British Gladiator Sailing Team in Majorca are: Matt Cornwell (bow); Bradley McLaughlin (mid bow); Pete Cummings (downwind trim); Tom Wilson (Team Manager & pit) and; veteran amateur grinder, Geoff Povey.
The Gladiator line up includes an impressive roll-call of Olympic, America’s Cup and World Championship sailors
Langley is fielding an all British Gladiator Sailing Team for Puerto Portals Sailing Week, the first 52 SUPER SERIES event to be held since 2019
Supporting the race team in Majorca are shore crew Feargal Finlay (boat captain); Dougie Newell (boat builder); Harriet Mason (sail maker); Carlos Perdiguero (systems maintenance) and; Will Heritage (rigger/diver).
“We have a strong team but make no mistake, this is the highest level of fleet racing and arguably the highest level of any yacht racing on the planet. It’s going to be no push over” said Team Manager, Tom Wilson. “…but that’s why we do it.” he added.
About Gladiator Sailing Team
In common with all Langley businesses, the group sponsored Gladiator Sailing Team represents the very best technology in its field, attracts highly talented can-do people and conducts itself with the highest standards of integrity.
About Langley
Langley Holdings plc is a privately owned UK engineering and industrial manufacturing concern, providing capital equipment technologies to diverse markets worldwide. Principal operations are based in Germany, Italy, France, UK and the US with more than 80 sales and service subsidiaries worldwide. The group employs around 4,600 people and was established in 1975 by Anthony Langley, the current Chairman & CEO, and remains in family ownership.
