In 2007 Bribon won her maiden regatta to take the City of Alicante Trophy just days after being completed, built in near to record time, winning by a single point. And last year it was only one point which separated Bribon from retaining the Alicante trophy, finishing second to Mean Machine. With French double Olympic medallist Thierry Peponnet steering, Bribon - which is completely unaltered since last season - lead at every mark of today’s curtain- raising practice race and crossed the finish line well clear of Portugal’s second placed Bigamist 7, Pedro Mendonca’s latest TP52 which is the former Platoon powered by Team Germany.
The hazy conditions which prevailed over Alicante denied any chance of the light, and times shifty and patchy breeze building to anything meaningful. Rarely did the wind top nine knots, but it was always enough for Bribon to keep the 12 boat TP52 fleet trailing behind. The typically understated Peponnet confessed later that part of their winning move, starting off the pin end, was as much as result of snaring a plastic bag around their keel two and a half minutes before the start gun. They crossed the fleet mid-way up the first beat, gaining a steady advantage after they tacked, and were more than 30 seconds clear as they lead away from the windward mark.
